Titans earn national recognition for disability inclusion program
The roar of hundreds of students filled the gym at West Salem High School as 10 basketball players took to the court.
It was a Tuesday morning, and most of the school turned out to watch an exhibition game. One player competed in a wheelchair. Several wore earmuffs to mask the overwhelming noise of a high school pep assembly. Each shot and each basket earned another loud cheer from the bleachers and a flurry of pom poms from the Titan cheerleaders.
The athletes were all part of West’s Unified program, a diversity and inclusion program from the Special Olympics that helps schools develop activities where students with and without disabilities play and learn together.
The assembly on Feb. 11 marked a special occasion. West had earned a designation as a national champion school, joining South and Sprague High Schools. Only three Oregon schools, including Auburn Elementary in east Salem, earned the distinction in 2024.
“That’s huge for us,” said Amanda Burke, who organizes Unified programs for the Salem-Keizer School District. It’s “kind of unheard of” for a district to have multiple schools with the national honor.
She said West’s program stands out for working with nearby middle schools to develop inclusive activities.
West was also named to ESPN’s honor roll for its inclusion efforts, a distinction awarded to only one school per U.S. state per year.
Lori Anderson is West’s gym teacher and runs the school’s Unified program. She’s in her fourth year at the school and has worked to expand the equipment available for her classes so all students can participate in sports. With a recent grant from the Maps Community Foundation, she ordered balls that make noise when thrown so blind students can be part of the game, and shorter basketball hoops for students in wheelchairs.
“Then they’re all on a level playing field with their peers, which is super cool,” she said.
Allen Fashant is among the West students who have benefited from the combined gym classes the program offers. He’s autistic and said his experiences help him work with classmates who have disabilities and guide them through activities.
“There’s a kind of connection when I kind of understand what they’re going through,” he said.
The February assembly also kicked off West’s fundraising drive for Special Olympics Oregon, which holds Polar Plunges around the state. Four West students from the Unified program volunteered to have icy water dumped over their heads in the center of the gym.
Carlos Ruiz, the school’s principal, said the Unified program brings energy to West and helps students feel connected to school.
“This is what Unified does to our school,” he said, straining to be heard over a gym of screaming students.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
