Poway Unified School District and Special Olympics Southern California will be bringing Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming to campuses across the district.

The Special Olympics programming has already been adopted at Poway and Del Norte high schools and this year will be expanded to other high school campuses in the district, according to officials.

On Oct. 1, Interim Superintendent Greg Mizel and Special Olympics Southern California President and CEO Kelly Pond signed a memo of understanding to make the partnership official. Joining them at the ceremony were students from Poway High who have been participating in the program.

“We are excited about this partnership and are already seeing the positive impact it has on students at Poway and Del Norte high schools,” Mizel said. “We prioritize inclusion and belonging on all of our school campuses and are looking forward to the opportunities that the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming will create to foster deeper connections between our students.”

The programming materials and initial funding are coming from Special Olympics Southern California.

“Poway Unified’s commitment to inclusion and opportunity for all its students is a game-changer in the lives of so many people in its community of schools,” Pond said. “Across the district, both students with and without intellectual disabilities will thrive socially, learn new skills and create friendships that will last a lifetime.”

The Unified Champion Schools program has three components — unified sports, inclusive youth leadership and whole school engagement.

Unified sports is where athletes with intellectual disabilities and their partners without disabilities train and compete together on sports teams. Benefits include developing athletic skills while forming friendships, fostering respect for each other and becoming leaders on and off the field, according to program officials.

Inclusive youth leadership has students with and without intellectual disabilities working together to lead and plan advocacy, awareness and other Special Olympics and related inclusive activities throughout the school year, officials said.

Whole school engagement incorporates awareness and education activities that promote inclusion, reach the entire school and align with the program’s mission.

The Unified Champion Schools programming is offered in more than 10,000 schools across the U.S., including 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Officials said while at least one Unified Champion School is at 25% of all school districts in the U.S., Poway Unified is one of fewer than 25 school districts of its size across the country to implement the program district-wide.