Laconia High honored as Special Olympics Unified Champion School

Laconia High School was honored as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School during a banner presentation at the school's Winter Carnival assembly on Thursday morning. The school is recognized for meeting 10 national standards of excellence for its unified community, which is made up of students who face challenges, mental or physical, and receive services at school. The assembly also had Winter Carnival games, and a 5-on-5 basketball game with three unified athletes and two student assistants on each team. Principal Lisa Hinds praised how the student body supports the unified students. “You can see that sense of inclusion, you can see the way that the crowd reacted today,” Hinds said. “You had nearly 600 students in the stands.” Hinds also believes Laconia is unique in how they support their unified students, and it’s inspiring to see the school come together. “I came here in 2015, and the first time I saw that, there wasn’t an adult here that wasn't just so completely moved, in awe,” she remembered. “I think that's the thing that makes Laconia so much different than anywhere else. There was heart in everything that you saw.” (Daniel Sarch/The Laconia Daily Sun photos)