Getting through four years of high school can often feel like a daunting and difficult task. Between the build up of classwork and the flurry of everyday routine, the  stereotypical “perfect” high school experience can feel impossible to reach. However, many NHS students have found a way to enhance their high school years and build lasting and meaningful relationships: through joining unified sports teams.

Unified sports allow both general education students and students with special needs to come together and participate in something they all have a passion for. And with Unified Flag Football becoming an IHSAA sanctioned sport in 2018, these sports have paved the way for numerous programs to emerge at NHS, with the most recent being Unified Performing Arts. Whether it’s running, cheering, throwing a football, or even bowling, unified sports creates a welcoming and supportive environment for all students.

However, it’s important to recognize that these programs haven’t always been acknowledged in the ways that they are now. Even though unified programs are growing, Noblesville needs to continue to expand the light that they shed on these activities as a school and community. These programs mean everything to their participants and give them opportunities that they may have not thought to be possible. But it’s important to remember that these athletes are simply participating in a sport they enjoy with their friends, just like every other athlete at NHS, and they deserve to be treated and viewed as such. 

However, the impact of unified sports stretches far beyond NHS. Not only do the activities help build bonds between the participants that will last a lifetime, being involved in unified sports helps students gain a sense of empathy and understanding for others that they may not have had before. Unified sports create a space where students can branch out from stereotypes and come together no matter what, which is something incredibly valuable in an often negative and difficult world. 

Every high school student deserves to have an opportunity to be involved in activities that they love, no matter who they are. At the end of the day, students are all simply trying to make it out of high school unscathed, and everyone should all have a space where they feel like we belong. Everyone at NHS is a Miller no matter what type of education they receive and are all entitled to a meaningful experience while they are here.