- Salem Hills High School received ESPN's Unified Champion Schools award on Oct. 30.
- The award recognizes its commitment to inclusive sports programs and Unified Sports.
- Coach Haylee Whiteley emphasizes the program's impact on inclusion and community spirit.
SALEM, Utah County — Salem Hills High School was recently named by ESPN and Special Olympics as one of the nation's top Unified Champion Schools, recognizing the school for its commitment to inclusive sports programs.
This banner award, announced Oct. 30, is part of ESPN's 2025 Honor Roll show and came on the heels of a state championship title earlier in the month for the school's Unified soccer team.
Salem Hills' Unified Sports coach and special education teacher, Haylee Whiteley, said being part of this program has had a positive impact on her life and the way she views the world.
"Unified has completely changed the way I view coaching, teaching, and community," Whiteley said. "It's not just a program—it's a movement. Watching students come together with genuine love and joy reminds me every day why inclusion matters. Unified has given me some of the best moments of my teaching career, and I'm proud to say that at Salem Hills, inclusion isn't something we talk about; it's something we live every single day."
Unified Sports is a program offered at schools throughout the state, with the goal of giving all students with varying levels of physical and intellectual impairments the chance to participate in sports. It is sanctioned by the Utah High School Athletics Association, and offers soccer, basketball and track and field. Whitely explained that to be named a Unified Champion School, schools must "make inclusion part of their DNA," and "create a legacy of inclusion that lasts beyond high school."
Jodi Beck, a parent, teacher and volunteer at the school, has experienced the benefits of Unified Sports firsthand. Her son is also a senior at Salem Hills High School and has been volunteering to assist the Unified athletes for several years. Beck said the program has had a lasting positive impact on her son.
She said her son, Keller Beck, first served as a peer tutor, and "when he was asked to help on the Unified team, he jumped at the opportunity."
Each Unified athlete is paired with a partner, a student without intellectual or physical impairments, to assist them in various ways with the goal of helping them play and have a positive experience.
"Keller plays competitive soccer and is honestly more excited to play with the Unified team," Jodi Beck said. "When he played this year at state, the athlete he was paired with scored a goal, and I don't know who was more excited, my son or the athlete. It's so fun to see those kids be successful and be included. (Coach) Haylee has done a really good job of making it a culture of belonging. It's one thing to feel included, but these kids really belong."
Salem Hills was selected from among several Utah schools to receive the 2025 ESPN Unified Champion Schools award. Bountiful, Brighton, Clearfield and Springville High School, as well as Daybreak and Monte Vista elementary schools, were also considered.
"As a teacher in the building, I get to see the impact firsthand," Whiteley said. "It's not just the athletes and partners who are changed. Teachers, office staff, janitors, and even students who aren't directly involved all recognize the joy and unity that Unified brings. There's this incredible energy of belonging and kindness that spreads through the halls.
"When you see a Unified athlete being cheered on by the entire student section, a partner helping a teammate manage emotions, or everyone celebrating a goal no matter who scored it—you realize this is way bigger than sports," she continued. "It's about inclusion, love, and friendship. Salem Hills has truly become a Unified school, not just in name but in heart."
