Inspired by a school in Minnesota, SCHS’s Unified PE class was created with the purpose of offering opportunities to students with disabilities and general education students to expand their comfort zone. Now in its sixth year, the program focuses on teaching students how to play a variety of sports while learning lifelong lessons.

Those within the unified class consist of students with disabilities and a handful of general education students who act as student coaches by encouraging and assisting the students with whatever may be challenging them.

Athletic director and Unified PE teacher DeeDee Kiyota is proud of the impact the class can have on both sets of students.

“Even in the general education population, not all students have the same opportunities,” Kiyota said. “Through this class, we can give students that don’t have the opportunity to be leaders, or to have a voice. You come into this class and you can be a leader. You can show your skills off.”

Not only does Unified PE assist students with disabilities, but it can also teach important life lessons to the general education students. With two sisters who are enrolled in special education classes, senior Aleeana Salazar reflected on how her family has impacted her experience as a student in a unified class.

“I’ve learned that I’m a lot more patient than I thought I was because I think patience is really important when you’re working with the special education students. I learned how to be compassionate too,” Salazar said. “You just see so many unique personalities and different stories, and you get perspectives of different people.”

Also a first-year student coach in the class, sophomore Ronny Stuckey joined Unified PE because of the relationships he made with students with disabilities while in middle school. He joined the program with a desire to have a positive impact on students like his friend Ashley.

“The way that the people in the special ed program were treating her (Ashley) was very demeaning,” Stuckey said. “That really bothered me. So my hope was that by joining this program, I would be able to meet other people like her who were also very talented and very capable and empower them in a way.”

Stuckey explained that Unified PE follows the same routine every day. This usually includes warm ups, three laps around the track and time spent practicing a sport. Stuckey appreciates the lessons he has learned during his time in class.

“I do feel like interacting with students with disabilities or people who struggle with achieving certain things and tasks that others could do makes you a more patient and understanding person,” Stuckey said. “I think everybody can benefit from having more diverse people in their life with disabilities.”

Salazar complimented Kiyota and special education teacher Shinichi Hirano for the job they have done in the unified class.

“They’re both really great teachers. They always put smiles on the students’ faces,” Salazar said. “They’re very encouraging, even towards the junior coaches. They’re very good people.”

As the years have gone by, Kiyota has realized the benefits of the relationships students build within the class. While on campus, she embraces the familiarity that is expressed among her students.

“They get to know you, they see you and they feel more comfortable coming up to you,” Kiyota said. “They may not say your name, but you know, they know who I am. They’ll wave to you in the hall or at lunch, and they feel more comfortable out there.”

Another space where students with disabilities can interact with general ed students is the Bruin Buddies club on campus. Salazar is involved with Bruin Buddies and appreciates how it supports students with disabilities. Her experience with peers has allowed her to observe how stereotypes placed on special education students are false and harmful.

“People who aren’t really involved have the misconception that these students are very incapable of things, and that’s very much not true. You see that in Unified PE,” Salazar said. “They’re very much capable of doing things on their own. They’re smart. They’re independent. They just have some special needs that need to be met. They’re just like everyone else. They have special needs.”

Although aware of the benefits Unified PE brings to both general education students and students with disabilities, Stuckey would like to see some changes. He mentioned that the only time general education students have the opportunity to interact with students with disabilities is limited to breakfast, the Unified PE class and lunchtime.

Stuckey believes that special education classes should be more integrated with the general education population to further encourage socialization.

“The special education program that we have here pretty much limits disabled people from interacting with the general education students, so it does mean a lot for them to be able to interact with us,” Stuckey said. “The only time I see these students is during breakfast and in the class, like in the Unified PE class and I think that’s like a really big issue. I don’t think their classrooms should be separate from ours. I think that we should mingle a bit more.”

The lessons that Kiyota has learned from teaching Unified PE extend past her time in the classroom. She is grateful of the impression she can make on her students in their future.

“You can help those students that are in the special ed department and open their eyes. They see you, and they value friendship,” Kiyota said. “As a general ed student, you feel like you’re making a difference. That has opened my eyes, too, as to how much more I can change the way I think and the way I value and see.”