When someone walks into the varsity gymnasium, whether for PE class or a Friday night basketball game, they can’t help but notice the various blue and white banners proudly hanging high on the walls. These banners displayed along the borders of the gym are a physical representation of the school’s athletic history, a sense of reward for the student body to see. Throughout the years HSE continues to earn more banner worthy titles, and this year juniors Amaya Hamilton, Hannah Bohm and Molly Walton are working towards making HSE a “Banner School.” However, this term is much different from the act of adding another placard to the wall of the gymnasium, and it honors certain athletes that are often overlooked.

“[Being a Banner School] is also known as being a Unified Champion School,” Hamilton said. “Which basically means that you meet the Project Unify goals throughout the school year and are awarded this title.”

The purpose of becoming a part of the Recognized Banner Program is for students to include and be involved with peers who have intellectual disabilities. This requires a Student Leadership Team to take action and reach benchmarks throughout the course of the school year. The four steps are composed of hosting sponsored activities supporting the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities, participating in at least one school-wide event promoting the inclusion of these individuals, raising $1,500 for the Champions Together Project and lastly being involved in a unified sport.

Unified track is already a sport offered at HSE under this category. Taking part in this sport is what initially inspired Bohm to want to help our school earn the title.

“I love doing unified track, it’s a big part of my life and I love being a Royal,” Bohm said. “My friends and I put two and two together and decided this would be awesome for unified track and the HSE student body.”

After researching more about what it takes to go through this process, the girls who also happen to be athletes themselves at HSE began planning on ways to encourage their cause and do more with the unified track team. While achieving the four pillars they primarily want to spread the word on how unified sports can be just as important as regular ones.

“This can show how [kids with disabilities] can do sports like any other person could,” Walton said. “All in all, it makes me happy to see them achieve goals.”