BHS hosts Unified Symposium

When it comes to paving the way for students with and without disabilities to learn together in a mutually beneficial manner, Buffalo High School staff members have stood out as leaders in their individual fields over the past few years.

This spring, they combined their efforts to host the first Unified Symposium in Minnesota, and perhaps the nation.

The Friday, April 10, event drew 38 educators from around the state. Several came from Anoka-Hennepin, the state’s largest district, while others hailed from Cloquet, Morris, Mankato and other communities near and far. 

Visitors spent the day observing partners (students without disabilities) and teammates (students with disabilities) engage in three Unified classes: Home Living, Music and Physical Education. Visiting educators also interacted with a student panel, asked how-to questions of a staff panel, and quizzed BHS staff members on logistics.

Karley Sykora, from the Paul Bunyan Education Cooperative in Brainerd, said the day was “completely life changing.”

“It was a complete perspective shift for me to learn of the benefits for not only the Unified teammates, but for the Unified partners as well,” Sykora explained. “The student panel was so profound for me. To hear students say, ‘We are learning more in Unified than we would ever learn in a College-in-the-Schools course’ highlighted the vibrant culture of inclusivity that you’ve created!”

Joel Young, a principal in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, agreed.

“After seeing partners and teammates engage with each other throughout the day, I would say you have this nailed down,” he said in an end-of-day feedback form. “Such powerful and authentic student interactions!”

Sharing beyond BHS
In his opening statement at the symposium, Buffalo High School Principal Mark Mischke said that while schools sometimes take pride in keeping unique services under their own colors, the Unified experience shouldn’t be limited.

“Sometimes we’re a little hesitant to share,” he said. “But there are times when something different happens and you realize every kid can benefit from it, every staff member, every community. And instead of keeping it to yourself, you want to get up on a chair and say, ‘Hey, listen up! All of you can and should be doing this,’ because your kids deserve it.

“So today isn’t about Buffalo High School. We hope to share something with you that you can bring back, so that what I see here can happen more and more – so that every very kid has the opportunity to experience what our kids are seeing in our building on a regular basis.”

That message was appreciated by Ali Hanson of Rush City, who wrote in her feedback form about the clear commitment of the BHS staff to serve all students well.

“I loved seeing how passionate the staff were about collaborating with their colleagues for the sake of bettering their students,” she said. “I felt so much positivity right in the first five minutes. And I could tell how proud everyone is about the work they’re doing. Keep sharing!”

Student panel
Both partner and teammate students shared about their Unified experiences and answered questions from guests. Several mentioned that while taking a Unified class might mean they are sacrificing the opportunity to take advanced classes, the trade-off is well worth it.

“At first I was a little worried about missing college credit classes, because now I’m taking two Unified classes,” said senior Evie Lubben. “But sometimes I think I learn more in the Unified classes.”

Senior Parker Carlson agreed.

“College credit is important here, so I was worried about making the right decision for my future,” he said. “But now I’ve learned that I’m setting myself up for my future so much more than getting another three credits.”

Teammates have particularly enjoyed the relational aspect of Unified activities.

“To me, Unified means feeling included,” said senior Emma Oja. 

“Unified means making friends,” said junior Kevin Rayner.

Students also shared about overcoming misconceptions they had when first joining a Unified class.

“When I walked in the first time I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to make a connection,” said senior Emily DeWolfe. “That was totally false. There’s always something you can connect on and build that relationship on.”

Other themes were that students discovered their passion for teaching, for working together with those who have disabilities, and more. 

“You learn so many different social skills, which is really important for life,” said senior Maci Provo.

Unique approach
Buffalo High School offered its first Unified class, a physical education option, in 2018. Since then, five more options have been added in music, home living, agriculture, science, and pre-employment.

That array of subjects, and the enthusiastic participation of students and general education staff members willing to explore what a Unified option might look like within their subject areas, sets BHS apart from other schools that may have a form of Unified programming.

“This isn’t just a nice novelty that’s good for kids,” Mischke said. “It’s moved into a district and a school system structure that’s ingrained. We have not had any more teachers added to do what we’re doing. We’ve simply been intentional about combining job assignments within certain staff so that this is able to happen. But without our students and staff, it just doesn’t work. It’s truly a collective effort.”

Another distinctive is the leadership of BHS teachers. Adapted physical education teacher Jen Heebink was the SHAPE America National Adapted PE Teacher of the Year in 2022, and has addressed peer educator groups in Seattle, New York, California and at a national conference in Minneapolis.

Unified Music Director Zack Carlson-Giving has led his ensemble in performances at the state capitol and at the prestigious state choral director’s association gathering. That appearance was so impressive to Minnesota educators that the ensemble was also invited to perform at an even more selective Midwest choir director’s conference in Milwaukee earlier this year.

Reaction
Feedback from symposium participants was overwhelmingly positive, with one suggesting that it be expanded into a two-day event in the future to enable observations of more Unified courses.

“I really enjoyed watching the classes in action,” said Jacob Sailor of ISD 728 – Elk River, Rogers, Otsego and Zimmerman. “The music class that we observed was one of the best planned and executed lessons that I have seen. I really liked how consistent exit cards, language and other things were in all of the Unified classes. It is very impressive work.”

Young added that the experience was “fantastic” and “surpassed all expectations.”

The information shared was eye-opening, even to those with prior experience in the district.

“I was beyond impressed with this!” said Sandy Hanson who now works for St. Michael-Albertville. “It was great to see everyone, and you showcase everything I miss about BHS!”

Many asked that the symposium return in future years.

“I look forward to more opportunities to connect with Buffalo staff,” said Ali Hanson. “I was so impressed with your professionalism and your passion for the work you do!”