Smoky Hill High School named 2025 Unified School of the Year

The Smoky Hill High School Unified Athletics program was honored as the 2025 Chaka Sutton Unified School of the Year for Colorado and will be inducted into the Special Olympics Colorado Hall of Fame during a ceremony later this fall.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said Smoky Hill Unified Coordinator and Coach Kelton Coppinger. “It’s a pretty big accomplishment. It’s validation of all the hard work of my coaches and the athletes and my administration team. There was so much support, we couldn’t have gotten to this point without them as well.”

The award is named after the 25-year Senior Vice President of Sports for Special Olympics Colorado and was presented during the State Unified Basketball Tournament on March 12. Two SHHS unified basketball teams earned state titles in their respective divisions at the tournament.

Unified Athletics is a Special Olympics program where students with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete together on the same team, fostering friendship, understanding, and inclusion through sports.

Smoky Hill has unified basketball, cheer, eSports, and flag football teams involving dozens of students.

Congratulations to Smoky Hill Unified Athletics! 

Posted 3/13/2025.