Unified activities in the Suffield Public Schools are activities that join people with and without intellectual disabilities and allow them to participate in extracurricular activities dedicated to promoting social inclusion. Currently we have three very popular and exciting activities for our students to participate in.
The Suffield High School Coffee Cart was established in 2017 after receiving a grant through SFES. The purpose of the project was to provide students with disabilities experiences with hands-on employment skills. Faculty have the opportunity of ordering coffee, tea, hot chocolate and school-made treats throughout the day using an online ordering system, with students fulfilling the orders. Along with running the daily operations of the coffee cart, students get experience with billing, accounting, monitoring inventory, shopping and ordering products. There are currently nine students that participate in the Life Skills program that take part in the SHS Coffee Cart program. It’s a highlight of the day for both students and staff!
Unified Concessions started in the 2021/2022 school year. It was created by the Board of Education to allow students with disabilities an opportunity to work alongside peers and our Booster Clubs. They learn essential skills such as teamwork, money management (adding orders, exchanging bills, making change), taking inventory, and social interactions with co-workers and customers. Unified Concessions allows an opportunity for kids to make connections to peers and their community. Our students have recently expanded this program to working a concession stand at various plays at the high school. Unified Concessions is an excellent way to for Suffield to promote acceptance and diversity.
Lastly our Unified Sports program brings students together with and without disabilities in non-competitive skill based physical activities. It consists of students in grades 3-5. The team begins right after the Thanksgiving break and continues through the end of April. We meet as a full team on Wednesday morning from 7:50-8:20 and each grade level meets once every three weeks for a special Unified Physical Education class. On April 22, our team will be traveling to Glastonbury High School where they will participate in different activities with Unified Sports teams from all over Conn.