Special Olympics Awards Four Boston Public Schools with National Banner

Special Olympics Massachusetts recently honored four Boston Public Schools with National Banner recognition for their efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities.

Special Olympics Honors Four Boston Public Schools with National Banner Recognition

BPS has four of only 17 schools in Massachusetts and 217 schools nationwide to achieve the status of National Banner School for the 2024-2025 school year.

BOSTON - DECEMBER 19, 2025- Special Olympics Massachusetts recently named Brighton High School, Mario Umana Academy, Trotter Elementary, and the Warren Prescott K-8 School as National Banner schools for their efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. The four schools earned this distinguished status as a result of meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from the Special Olympics and the education community.

"We are incredibly proud that four Boston Public Schools have been recognized as National Banner Unified Champion Schools," said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. "This honor reflects our district's and schools’ commitment to creating inclusive environments where every student of all abilities can participate, lead, and thrive. Through programs like Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole-school engagement, we move closer to building a more inclusive future across all of our schools."

The Unified Champion Schools® model is a strategy for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Unified Sports; inclusive youth leadership; and whole-school engagement. As many as 16 million young people are taking part in inclusive experiences through Special Olympics. National Banner Unified Champion Schools also demonstrate they are self-sustainable or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future.

"At Warren Prescott, our students are at the center of everything we do and our school community works diligently every day to ensure that all our students have the opportunity to connect, lead, and learn alongside their peers of all abilities," said Principal Michele Davis, Warren-Prescott K-8 School. "Our collaborative efforts are grounded in this vision, allowing students to engage meaningfully with each other and helping build a school culture rooted in equity, respect, and inclusion."

Since October 2023, Boston Public Schools (BPS) has been implementing its landmark Inclusive Education Plan for the Boston Public Schools. The plan outlines systemic changes across all BPS divisions to close opportunity gaps and give every student access to rigorous and culturally affirming instruction. This Inclusive Education Plan will transform learning outcomes for all students, upholding the right of every student to be educated in the least-restrictive environment.

"Trotter Elementary celebrates the power of inclusion every day. Our students participate in Unified Sports and school-wide activities that foster understanding, leadership, and friendship across all abilities," said Principal Sarita Thomas, Trotter Elementary School. "Being named a National Banner School emphasizes our commitment to creating a learning environment where all students can thrive socially and academically."

Brighton High School has made history by becoming the first secondary school in Boston Public Schools to earn Special Olympics National Banner recognition. This achievement showcases the school’s commitment to creating an inclusive community where students of all abilities can fully participate in sports, leadership activities, and school life. With its unified sports programs and strong culture of belonging, Brighton sets a great example of what it means to achieve inclusive excellence at the high school level.

"At Brighton High School, our students are at the forefront of creating a community where everyone feels seen, supported, and included," said Principal Andrew Bott, Brighton High School. "This recognition highlights their dedication to uplifting one another, fostering strong friendships, and making our school a welcoming environment for all. We are incredibly proud of the leadership and compassion our students demonstrate every day, which has earned us the Special Olympics National Banner."

Photo: Piano Lab Ribbon Cutting at Umana Academy, 2025.

“This achievement reflects the power of inclusion, teamwork, and community. At the Umana, every student deserves to feel seen, valued, and celebrated, and earning the National Banner recognition affirms that belief,” said Principal Akua-Nia Francillon, Mario Umana Academy. “I am proud of our school, grateful for our dedicated educators, and inspired by our amazing young people who make the Umana a place where belonging and brilliance are lived every day.”

The Unified Champion Schools® model is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. This model has been proven, through research, to be an effective and replicable means to providing students with and without disabilities the opportunity to form positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate.

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Summer Early Focus

Summer Early Focus, is a 5-week summer program designed by the BPS Department of Early Childhood.

There is no cost to parents/guardians for their child to attend this program, but full attendance for all 24 days is required in order to attend!

There will be breakfast, lunch and snack time, academic and enrichment components, as well as neighborhood walking tours.

For any questions on Summer Early Focus, contact Solange Marsan at smarsan@bostonpublicschools.org.

Dates

Summer Early Focus will take place July 8-August 8, 2025.

Registration opened April 1, 2025.

Eligibility

Summer Early Focus, is open to all Boston Public School students entering pre-k (K0 and K1) through third grade in the upcoming school year.

For enrolling in K0 for the 2025 Summer, the child has to be 3 years old before September 1, 2025.

Locations

The Summer Early Focus program is held at the following sites:

Curley Lower School K0-2 (Jamaica Plain)
Ellison-Parks EES (Mattapan)
East Boston Early Education Center (East Boston)
Higginson K0-2 (Roxbury)
Baldwin (Brighton)

Registration

To register for Summer Early Focus you must do it directly on School Mint.

On School Mint you will find all Summer programs available to BPS students.

To register to Summer Early Focus, you must:

Chose one of the following 5 sites: Curley Lower School K0-2, East Boston EEC, Higginson K0-2, Ellison-Parks EES, or Baldwin.
Rank “Summer Early Focus” as your first choice in the application

In the video below, find the Family Registration instructions on how to enroll your student. Closed Captions are available in all BPS languages.

Please note registration is done through a lottery system.

To learn more about other Summer Programs available to BPS students visit the BPS Summer Programs Website.

Program Details

The Summer Early Focus program builds on children's learning during the school year and is highly engaging and child-driven.
Summer Early Focus helps children develop critical thinking, creativity, social awareness, relationships, teamwork, and self-regulation skills—all while having fun!
Students engage in high-quality instructional practices, and enjoy both structured and unstructured play opportunities. Some of the activities children will participate in are:
- Neighborhood walking field trips
- On-site visits from organizations such as the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) and the Discovery Museum.
- Physical education classes
- Dance lessons
- Art lessons
Each classroom typically has two BPS teachers supporting up to 20 students with our Summer Early Focus curriculum. Additionally, each site will have an ESL teacher to support ELL students.
A sample schedule can be seen here.

Curriculum

Click the links for the project-based, student-driven curricula:

Rising third grade students explore bicycles, thinking about the different functions of a bike, how a bike works, and bicycle safety. For a final project, children envision a more bicycle-friendly neighborhood.
Rising second grade students think critically about food, through the exploration of food from various cultures and how food gets from a farm to people who cook and eat it. For a final project, children create a way for community members to have increased access to fresh, local food.
Rising first graders learn about insects, through observation, reading, exploring, and playing about bees, butterflies, and beetles. This study offers new and continued learning related to the school year Focus on K2 curriculum. Children consider what insects are, what they need to survive, and their own relationships with them. To finish the summer session, children plan and set up exhibits in an Insect Museum.
Incoming kindergarten students explore ocean and seashore animals native to Massachusetts. This curriculum helps prepare children for kindergarten in the fall through exposure to the structure of the day, literacy, math, and center-based activities.
Incoming Pre-K children explore how plants and animals grow, using a selection of the new Focus on 3s curriculum adapted for the summer program. Children raise live butterflies, plant seeds, and investigate flowers as they think about what living things need and how humans can care for plants and animals. This curriculum helps prepare children for kindergarten in the fall through exposure to the structure of the day, literacy, math, and center-based activities.