Building Inclusion and Leadership: The Power of Unified at West Middle

In this episode, we explore how West Middle School’s innovative Unified program fosters inclusion, leadership, and community engagement among students, staff, and families. Join us for insights on creating a culture of belonging that extends beyond the classroom.

00:00 - Introduction to West Middle School’s Unified program
01:17 - What is the Unified program? A detailed explanation
05:06 - Principal Ryan’s insights on implementing Unified
09:02 - Student perspectives: Kenzi’s motivations and experiences
12:17 - The role of leadership opportunities in middle school development
16:36 - How the program has changed West’s school culture
19:51 - Expanding involvement and the excitement of new students
24:52 - Student pride and leaving a legacy in Unified
27:36 - Advice for students considering involvement
28:23 - Principal Ryan’s vision for the future: fostering a mindset of inclusivity
29:25 - Wrap-up and ways to connect for more information

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Hi everyone, welcome to the next episode of the Inside Wise Podcast. Today we are at West Middle School with three very special guests. We have Ryan Carlson, who is the principal here at West, Michaela Ferguson, who is a PE teacher at West. And we have Kenzie, who is in eighth grade. Thank you all of us for joining. Ryan, what's going on at West? What's the pulse right now?

SPEAKER_02 0:28

Well, the spring uh in any middle school is kind of a busy time of year. Wrapping up some spring uh state testing. Um, just a lot of excitement. With we just had our musical frozen was performed last week. We've got upcoming concerts, um, a lot of excitement for summer. So just a busy time, um, but also really cool time. Um I think this time of year is the time where some of our eighth grade students and I even see it, just kind of appreciation of their time here at West. Their three years is kind of wrapping up. So it's fun, but also sad to see that.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Yeah, we're I mean, we're officially under a month into the last day of school, which is it's probably mixed feelings. Maybe don't remind our students that have a month. Michaela, for you, what's what's the last, what's going on right now? What's the last month of school look like?

SPEAKER_04 1:16

Oh, it's uh busy. I feel like with a lot of unified stuff, um we have a strong unified program here. And so I feel like in the next couple weeks we have lots of unified events going on, um, which is fun and a lot of excitement around that, and just wrapping up in PE and all of the fun things around West as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

And for you, Kenzie, eighth grade, and you're this is your last uh last month of of middle school. How does it feel?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Um, it's like sad, but also happy at the same time because I'm like moving on to another like part of my life and stuff, but it's also sad because I've been here for three years, and I feel like our school, this school is just has such a great program and such an amazing like teachers and everything.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Mixed emotions. Okay, so Michaela, you mentioned the unified. So what is it? What is the unified program?

SPEAKER_04 2:08

Yeah, um, Unified is happening around our district. Um, we started it three years ago here at West with Unified PE, but Unified is a program for students with and without disabilities. So it's really about including everyone, no matter their ability level. Um, we it all feels good when we're included. Um so we started with Unified PE. Kenzie was in the call the OG group um that started and piloted this class. And then it's grown to like our unified advisory, um, unified club, unified art, lots of different unified things um that we have here at West. So we are a unified champion school at West. Um, which, Kenzie, do you want to explain what it takes to be a unified champion school?

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Um, so you need like a quite a bit of things. So you need like um unified like sports and stuff, and we have our unified PE and then unified whole school engagement. So we had things like the Polar Plunge and um Unity Day, unified um leadership bottage three, yeah, which is the leadership part of it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

Those are the three pillars. You need three pillars, which we've fulfilled all of them. So for two years now we've been a unified champion school. Um, we have almost 300 kids in some way, shape, or form that are involved in unified, whether that's art, PE, club, um, or just any other ways, which is really cool. That's a third, right, of our population here.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

About half of our students are involved in some type of leadership group, with a lot of them being in unified.

SPEAKER_04 3:46

Um, so yeah, that's all the unified things.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Explain the difference between you said unified P and unified sports. Yes. What is the difference between those?

SPEAKER_04 3:56

So unified sports happens in our unified PE class. So, like, for example, tomorrow our unified PE class is going to um Edina to compete in a unified cornhole tournament. Um, and then in a couple weeks, we have our unified track meet, which takes place at the high school for all of our middle schools in the district, plus some other middle schools in the surrounding area. Um, so all of our unified sports happen from unified PE here at the middle school level.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

So it's more like competition based than POK.

SPEAKER_04 4:27

Yes. So students being able to participate in sports, a lot of our students who receive special education services often don't have the chance to compete in sports or activities. Um, and so this is a chance for them to compete with their peers alongside them in that sport where they can be successful.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Ryan, I want to take a bit of a step back. Um, when did you first learn of the Unified program? And why was it a priority for you to bring and bring the program to West and become a champion school?

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Yeah. Um, so I I would say that I'm a big believer in middle school, just having students having the opportunity to explore passions, um, grow their independence as learners. Um, and I think this is one way that I've seen at other middle schools be successful. And it kind of worked out that I had some ideas because I actually previously worked in e Dyna and we had a pretty strong unified program there. Um, and when we hired Michaela, she had some ideas right away. She was kind of pounding down my door with all the ideas that she wanted permission to go ahead with. Um and I had just seen the benefits um working in e Dinah with it. And I could tell that Michaela had a passion and a vision for what that would look like in our building. Um, and then I think the greatest part is just getting students involved in it. So, whatever, whatever we're talking about with student leadership, like when you let them, you know, take control and have that agency to drive it a little bit. Um it's I think we kind of put almost self-imposed limits when we think, hey, let's do a fundraiser, let's try this. And when students are like, no, let's try this, let's make it, let's set a goal of this much money, this much students involved. Um, and so when you involve them, it's just it's um been incredible to see it just kind of blow up the last three years.

SPEAKER_04 6:24

Yeah, when you find students that are passionate about it, the ideas they have and things they do, like and just like lead each other, it is really cool to just step back and see in all of our areas of leadership, like how they can lead.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

And why are you so passionate about it, Michaela?

SPEAKER_04 6:38

About unified?

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:40

Um when I was in school um or just out in the community, there was not a lot of inclusion. I feel like our students or friends who, you know, receive special education services or have a disability were often just like in their own classes doing their own thing and didn't get to form those friendships with their peers. And so I saw it when I was student teaching and doing some practicums, I saw unified and I was like, this is the coolest thing ever. Like, and I immediately was like, I want to do this, like, this is what I want to do. Um, I want to be a PE teacher, an adapted PE teacher, and I really care about inclusion. And so I saw some really strong unified programs within the area, and I was like, I want to do that here at YZA.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

So and aside from beating down Ryan's door to get it started, what was it like for you to get the program started? Like was I'm I assume it was a bit of a process and journey.

SPEAKER_04 7:43

Yeah. So I used to actually teach at all three middle schools as the adapted PE teacher. And so we kind of piloted it here at West and at East. Um, so it was working with different buildings to kind of get it started and advocating, you know, Ryan was on board right away. Um, and Amy Van Dunk, who's the special education um supervisor for our middle school buildings, was super on board too. And just everyone, like I feel like there was no one that was like, no. Everyone was like, yes, like how do we make this happen? What are the hurdles that we see? Like, hey, we have to figure this out. And there was a lot of feedback too. Like, it's just trial and error when you start something. Um, and so we tried things some different ways, and we're still in those trial years, like you can always make something better. Um, so it was just like talking with everyone about the hurdles with like admin and really trying to figure out how you make these things work. And with student voices, like, oh, hey, here's an idea for next year. And like Kenzie was a part of that group that kind of, hey, this is how we can make this better and grow this.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

So, Kenzie, you were, as uh Michaela said, one of the original in the original group of students that helped kind of start this whole process. What do you remember your thoughts on when you first learned of Unified and why did you want to get involved?

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Um, so when I first got involved, like um in elementary school, I already had friends um that like always got pushed out and stuff for having a disability. And I always wanted them to be included, and I always wanted to make sure they were a part of something. So they like, as she said, felt the connection with other people. And um, when I heard it was at West, I was like, Oh, I for sure want to be in that. Like, that is really something I want to do. And then when she like uh was talking about it and she's like, Oh, unified PE and this, and I was like, I want to be in everything, like I just want to be in it, and I've been in it for all three years, and it's so amazing to see just so many people growing into it now, and just like to see everybody just saying hi in the hallways and stuff. It's it's like really good to see.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

What does that involvement look like for you? What's the commitment? What does that entail?

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Um, so like I uh I'm in unified PE and I go to Unified Club. Um, and I'm in Unified Advisory too this year. And I spent a lot of time with Kenzie. Yeah, we spent a lot of time together. Yep. Um, but it like for me, it's just like making sure everybody around the school is being inclusive and like everybody's just having a great time together and stuff like that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:22

So a lot of these students who, you know, choose to be an advisory in Unified Club. Unified Club meets once a week. Um, but then they help like plan. Like my advisory helps plan the activities for Unified Club for everyone to do. They also like choose to go to my time sessions in our SDC rooms too and help with like morning meetings. And um, we've seen people, you know, eat lunch um with their friends. And it's just grown into everywhere where I feel like the time commitment is like, yes, you're in these classes, but they're also like committing their time outside of these classes, and it's just like part of the culture. It's not even like, oh, I have to do this or I'm gonna go to like this where I'm gonna be inclusive. It's like part of their everyday life here at West. Um, and you really see it like in our culture.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

Well, I think our like our student leaders have such a passion for it. Um that they're they have such a strong voice and advocacy for inclusive practices. Um, Ms. Ferguson's even mentioned, like, is like, I'm gonna don't worry, I'm gonna get a sub. But if I'm gone, my students could actually totally take that class and lead it because they know exactly how I want it to go, and that's how they want it to go. And we don't even need a sub, but don't worry, I'm gonna get one.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

They've told me, they're like, well, you can just share your sub notes with me and we'll run it. I'm like, that's we can't do that, but I appreciate I appreciate that, and I would trust you. Uh, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Well, it's almost like there's taking ownership of something, right? And I think here in Utah, Kenzie, when we think of school, we think of kind of the the constraints of like your typical day-to-day classes, right? This is something above and beyond. For you, Ryan, like what is it, what is kind of the bigger picture things that students can learn doing these things above and beyond and taking ownership and and learning how to be leaders?

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Yeah, I think that there's there's a couple questions that I think all middle schoolers wrestle with when they come to middle school, is like, who am I? How do I connect at the school? And what will I contribute? So I think these leadership opportunities, whether it's unified or our service advisory, spirit advisory, community, and just our advisory classes in general, I think there's a lot of opportunities for students to build that purposeful community, find out who they are, connect to something and contribute. I think that's like middle schoolers are so much more service oriented and care so much more about others than they're given credit for. I think sometimes we think of middle schoolers and there's kind of a negative stereotype. And I'm like, come into my building. Like our middle school students are amazing and care so much for each other, um, whether for the environment, for people with disabilities. Um, and so just I think from my lens, big picture is like, how do we create a schedule and a middle level program that allows students to explore and to have these different opportunities? Because when you give them that little bit, like just to see them run with it and then take complete ownership of it. And I just think of we actually had um this morning we had an advisory session um with a spring fundraiser for can do canines. And hearing, you know, 275 eighth grade students absolutely silent listening to the presentation. But it also just gave me a moment to reflect like, holy cow, the mark that this eighth grade group has left here after their three years, in terms of their service, their generosity, their care for others, um, has I think just impacted our community in such a positive way. So that's why like I get it's bittersweet for me as we get to the spring to see this group of of eighth graders leave because they've had such an impact on our community.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Michaela, you you have a front row seat to that impact. So how have you seen students like Kenzie from the time they start to where they are now? How does it change them? How been involved in this?

SPEAKER_04 14:30

Gosh, it's hard to remember them as little sixth graders when they came in because they've changed and become great. Obviously, they were great human beings when they came in, but like seeing them mature and really grow into the people they are today, just gonna get emotional at the end of the year with these this group, especially the ones that started this whole program. But um seeing them step into this leadership role, like their leadership roles and find out that we don't all have to lead the same. Like that's what's really cool. I think in sixth grade, their mindset was this is what leadership looks like. And we had a lot of conversations about leadership doesn't look the same for all of us. Like it looks different, and each of you are gonna find your own ways to lead, and that's okay. And so seeing them kind of grow into their individual roles of leadership is really, really cool to see. And now, as they start to think about, which is crazy, career paths, um, them talking about how this leadership role has impacted their career choice and how they can take what they've learned and these skills in just three years in middle school into their future career paths, I think really makes me proud.

SPEAKER_01 15:41

What do you think you've changed after uh being involved in this program, Kenzie?

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Um, it definitely changed me a lot. I feel like I've become such a better leader and it's just like a day-to-day thing now. I have so many new friends and just like um I've had, yeah, I've made so many new friends and been so involved now, and it's just it's so fun and so cool. Like I feel like I changed a lot as a person and just like um like getting older and just realizing this is like so cool and we can do this everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

Do you feel like you're more prepared for the high school after being involved in this?

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yes, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 16:20

And excited for the opportunities the high school gives. Oh, very so many.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Ryan, bigger big picture. How has this as the unified program kind of changed the culture of West?

SPEAKER_02 16:36

Yeah, I think one of our goals is just for every student to feel a genuine sense of belonging in the building. And I think it that really just really matches well with the unified goal of of being inclusive and helping everyone you know be their authentic selves and feel like they've got a place here at West. Um and so I've just seen that continue to grow um over over the last couple years. Um and just the impact it has on students and their families. I think like even like we did like a was it like a unified dance this fall. Um and just seeing like the the the families of our students just come in just proud and just excited to have everyone included and having a great time. Being like just having a great time being a middle school kid.

SPEAKER_04 17:24

And for them to see it, like families to see like how inclusive our students are. I think a lot of them like have heard this and their students tell them stories and we tell them things.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

But it goes back to some of that negative stereotype of some middle school students, and I think again, I mean in a middle school you're gonna see some some things. But our kids care so much about each other um and leaving an impact on on their community that um they definitely don't get enough credit in that regard. And so parents sometimes I think are surprised when they see it in action.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Well, parents are either dropping their students off or putting them on a bus and trusting a lot. Yeah, they they go, they go to school and come home, right? Sometimes middle schoolers don't share a ton when they get home. Okay. All right. I I think it'd be fun to go around, and I'm sure there's many moments that really stick out to all of you throughout the few years with this program. But if you could think of like one moment that's like this is why I do this, what would that be? Start with you, Michaela.

SPEAKER_04 18:36

Oh gosh, okay. I guess I'll start. Um geez, there's so many good moments. And every time we do something, I think this is the best moment. No, this is the best moment. Um when we are out in the community on any sort of whether it's like competing in unified sports or on a field trip or a conference for unified and I see my students interacting with students from other schools and not only including and doing things they're comfortable with and just including the kids they've gotten comfortable with, but including others. And then hearing those stories when we come back and I hear in the hallways them talking about it. And when I just it makes me just so happy to hear like you can walk through the hallways and hear unified and like people are proud of it and excited to share the stories. I think that's like such like it's not like a specific story, but it's just like in general, like the talk about it and the excitement around it, around it. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

I think uh our like the unified my time offerings is an example of like how many students want to be involved in that. They hear about it, it sounds kind of cool to them, and they're like, Okay, tell me more.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

Like, I had to create two, like we have to do like a sixth grade one and a seventh and eighth grade one because we had so many kids that wanted to be involved this year. I was like, I can't have 200 kids in my space, like that's not safe.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

200 middle schoolers. Yes, no, what an amazing problem to have to like work through.

SPEAKER_04 20:21

That's why I came to Ryan and I was like, okay, good problem, but like, hey, how do we solve this? Like again, those hurdles that we jump through, like good hurdles, and sometimes like, oh, how do we get past this?

SPEAKER_02 20:32

How do we manage this? Because with this, we think this is great, and 200 in one space might not work as well.

SPEAKER_04 20:37

Yes. Um that, and then another one of when teachers come to me and students are standing up for each other. Um, and they in their other classes, science or math, instead of choosing to work with maybe their best friend, they choose to work with someone who has been left out. Like hearing those little things, not only to be inclusive in Unified is amazing, of course, but to be inclusive outside of Unified and everywhere when they're choosing to not go with their friends or make the choice that's maybe easiest or convenient for them.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Yeah, the broader impact, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:12

And every kid's included. You go into classes in this school, you can go into choir science wherever, and you see inclusion happening. It's the little moments like that.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

What about you, Kenzie? What's like one moment that jumps out of like this is cool?

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Um, I'd say, like she said, there's many of them, but I feel like whenever we have a whole school like engagement, I feel like it's just so cool to see so many students like wanting to be involved. Like for like our polar plunge, there was just so many students that were excited to jump and raise money for special Olympics and like just like see so many people want to be in it is just like it's so cool to see.

SPEAKER_04 21:50

How many jumpers do we have? Do you remember? Like about 120 students who chose to take the polar plunges. This year at West, and we fundraised $24,000. Um, which was really cool. So every year we've done it three years now. Every year we've went up and more jumpers and more money. Um, which, like she said, for that many students to be involved, and even if they didn't jump like to fundraise, um, and everyone hears the message of why we do this.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Ryan, do you have a moment that jumps out this past year?

SPEAKER_02 22:25

Uh, I mean, I think the the dance that we had in the fall was just really fun. Just to see kids like just having a blast together and jumped out at me. And I do think back to like our first polar plunge, like pulling that off, because it was the first time that um any wise out of middle school had done a polar plunge. So like there's some logistical pieces that we had to work through. Um, but to then see it come to fruition um was really fun.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

How do you think this program evolves as it goes forward? Obviously, that's because our champion school has been wonderful so far. How do you continue to grow and evolve?

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Well, I bet Michaela has some ideas. I know, and Kenzie too. I I we um attended an event a couple weeks ago um with some of our unified leaders. And one of the things we get to do when we came back was just kind of come together and okay, like now what's next? We get to collaborate with a bunch of other schools around the state that are you know are unified champion type schools. And that was like, you know, students came back with tons of ideas, a lot of excitement around how we can continue to grow this program.

SPEAKER_04 23:37

Like, here's where we're at. And to hear from other schools who are doing a lot of the same things in the state, I think really just like ignited that passion again. Um, to like, okay, now how can we do some of these things but make them our own? Because every school, you take something and you make it your own what fits. And we've kind of created our programming here. And now, like in our advisory, our sixth and seventh graders that are in our unified advisory, it's like, hey, how are you guys gonna like continue to grow this program, but like also make it your own? Like these eighth graders who have built a lot of this are going to the high school. Like, what ideas do you have? And hearing their excitement and their ideas. Of just today, we had a meeting about collabing unified and art and unified PE together for a couple days and like the excitement and how they can grow this and the ideas. Like, we just let students talk, and they planned a whole unit for us to do. Like, that's how you grow. Like, you keep finding passionate students who want to bring their ideas to the table and want to make them happen, and tell them sometimes yes and no. And okay, now how do we make these things happen that they have the ideas for? I think that's how we continue to grow.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Kenzie, what are you most proud of for your work in Unified now that you're in your last month of middle school, about to add to the high school?

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Um, I would just say I'm just like proud of our group for like getting so many more people involved. I feel like we started off with a good number, but it just grew so much over these last like three years. And it's just like I feel like we really left a mark, like showing people what unified was and getting to a really good point of like where you could just stop someone the hallway and I'm sure they would know what it is. Like it's like really cool to see how much how many people actually know about it now and like how much we've learned going along with it too.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

And for for you, Michaela, if if parents are listening right now and they're like, that sounds interesting, what would you encourage them, you know, to to talk with their students about on like maybe getting involved or how maybe how they can get involved themselves?

SPEAKER_04 25:50

Yeah, I would say all of our schools, I believe, in the district have unified PE, which is really cool that within the past four years, we're at every school having unified PE. Um, if you are curious about it and want your student to be involved, I think, you know, reaching out to the admin in your building and hey, what are the unified opportunities in our school? Um, and they'd be able to at least point you in the right direction of someone that would know if they don't have all the answers to that or what it looks like. Um but ask your student. I'm sure they've heard, you know, the word unified, at least at some point in their building. Um, Special Olympics Minnesota is like is our partner that all of our unified champion schools partner with. Um, so their website has a lot of stuff on unified champion schools and what is unified and what is inclusion and what it looks like in schools. So I always like show a lot of videos from there and find a lot of information from there. So that's always a good like resource too. Um, and we share this stuff at like our incoming sixth grade night, like what is unified? You know, our students went to present. Did you go to present to the elementaries?

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Yeah, I did actually.

SPEAKER_04 27:06

Yeah. To our incoming fifth graders, and they talked about unified. Um, so they know what it is coming in if they don't already know. So I feel like it's shared a lot with students. And now hopefully people listening to this, like parents, are hearing, like, hey, this is a really cool program. Like, I want to learn more about it. Um, and maybe I learned something today. I hope they did about what it is. And I've heard this word and my kids talked about it, or it's at their school, great. Um, it just spreads by word of mouth and people asking each other what it is.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Yeah, Kenzie, what would you tell a classmate that's maybe on the fence about like, oh, I don't know if I want to get involved or not?

SPEAKER_00 27:43

Um, I would just tell them I definitely think you should because it's a great like learning opportunity and it's just so much fun, even if you're unsure of joining, even if you just go to one class or one thing, you're gonna have the most fun you've ever had. Like it's amazing how like I don't even know. It's just so much fun. And um, yeah, but I would definitely say like get involved any way you can. And yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

And I'll close with you, Ryan, as you think about the future of West, the future of this program, like what are your hopes and dreams as this continues to grow?

SPEAKER_02 28:23

I mean, I I hope we continue to add unified classes, but I think even more than that, I hope it goes beyond just the classes and that it's a mindset of inclusiveness throughout the building. Yeah. And that people just know like this is how we treat each other, this is the community we have here, and this is kind of our norm for just how we go about business. We include people, we celebrate everyone, um, all the things that make us quirky and unique. Um because I think that's that actually really helps set up middle school students for for their best learning too. Like just knowing that people care about them, knowing that there's a strong community, allows our students to then really focus in and have the best learning experiences. So I think for me it's it's yes, I want to keep growing the classes and have those numbers go up, but it's more than that. It's it's really that mindset shift. Um, that this is how we do it. We're just inclusive. That's what West is all about.

unknown 29:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Well, that's great. So for anyone listening, if they want to learn more, you can reach out to Ryan, you can reach out to uh to Michaela. Um, and as Michaela said, reach out to your school, um, your school office, and you can learn more that way. Um, Ryan, Michaela, thank you for for joining us. Kenzie, good luck in your last uh few weeks of middle school and best of luck next year at the high school.

SPEAKER_00 29:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Thanks for having us. Yes, thank you.