Blue Devils Participate in Unified Youth Summit

A contingent of about two dozen Huntington High School students participated in the Suffolk County Unified Youth Summit in Sayville last Friday. The Blue Devils were accompanied by physical education teachers Lauren Blackburn and Christopher Taylor.

Ms. Blackburn coaches Huntington’s varsity Unified bowling team. Mr. Taylor teaches two sections of Unified physical education.

The goal of the initiative was to bring together students with and without disabilities to educate and inspire them to become active participants in making a difference within their schools and communities.

“Students from schools all over Suffolk gathered to celebrate the power of inclusion in sports, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds,” Ms. Blackburn said. “Students were able to share ideas, make connections and talk about what Unified activities look like at their school.”

There were student led presentations highlighting the Unified sports programs and clubs at their respective schools.

“During icebreaker activities, our Huntington students were able to share stories of their involvement and discuss ways in which we can make Huntington a more inclusive environment,” Ms. Blackburn said. “Many of our athletes from the Unified bowling and basketball teams were able to speak on their experiences participating in their sports. The students from both Unified PE classes left the summit feeling inspired and equipped with new ideas and ready to take action.

The Blue Devils already sponsor Unified varsity basketball and bowling teams and pre-season intramurals and Huntington UFSD is studying the feasibility of sponsoring a Unified varsity bocce team now that the New York State Public High School Athletic Association has approved rules for the sport.

Huntington is also studying the possibility of establishing a Unified intramural program and possibly participating in the Section XI Athletics for All program, which features monthly Unified activities.