Unified Sports at Burlington High School Are Bringing Students Together — and Changing Lives

Cheers filled the gym as teammates surrounded a player who had just scored a basket. They celebrated the moment like it was a game-winner.

At Burlington High School, that kind of energy is no longer reserved for traditional varsity athletics. Unified basketball and unified bowling have quickly become some of the school’s most celebrated programs.

Unified sports are inclusive sports programs that bring together people with and without intellectual disabilities to train, compete, and build friendships as teammates. The unified sports programs at Burlington High School are fairly new: Basketball was established five years ago, and bowling came on the scene two years ago. 

“It’s been an amazing addition for us, for a lot of obvious reasons,” said Shaun Hart, BHS Athletic Director and head coach of the basketball and bowling team. “We are getting a community of people together to play sports that didn’t necessarily have an outlet in which to play them before. I think that’s probably the best thing that happened.”

Bonnie Nichols, assistant coach for both programs, has been involved since their creation and has seen how much work went into building these programs from the ground up. 

“I’ve really been part of the program since it began,” she said, “There was a lot of effort not just in Burlington but across the Middlesex League to establish unified sports as a varsity program.”

The programs have frequent practices where coaches and athletes focus on skill development, teamwork, and game preparation. 

“A typical practice includes fundamentals, skill stations, and scrimmages,” Nichols said, “But the biggest driver of the program is team-building, students having fun and getting to know one another while also developing their basketball skills.”

Thirty-two athletes participated in the unified program this year, with 10 playing for both the bowling and basketball programs. Both of these programs follow structured schedules and are treated just like any other varsity program. The bowling team started its season on February 9 and competed in six weekly matches at the local Kings Bowling Alley. After the season ended on March 30, players and coaches took a week off before transitioning into their basketball season.

The basketball team played several games across the subsequent seven weeks, competing once more against the other 11 teams in the Middlesex League. At the end of the season, the league hosts a jamboree, where the team plays their final two games at the outdoor courts at the Galvin Middle School in Wakefield. 

“We’ve treated our unified basketball team like a varsity sport,” Hart said, “We travel together as a team, and all of the amenities that are given to our varsity athletes are given to all of our teams, unified basketball included.”

BHS Principal Mark Sullivan concurs, saying the school administration makes sure the teams have the resources and support they need to succeed.

“My job is to say yes,” Sullivan said. “Whether it’s providing resources, supporting coaches, or just showing up to cheer them on, we want these athletes to have the same experience as any other team.”

This approach has helped elevate both the program and the athletes. The experience has helped athletes build new friendships, develop confidence, and cultivate a stronger sense of belonging - all while having fun. 

Hart has seen the impact firsthand that these teams have had on the players.

“I think our kids would tell you that they love the program,” Hart said. “They have made a lot more friends … They’re seen in a different way and they have their own following, which I think is amazing, like most of our sports teams do.”

School administration has also taken notice of the program’s benefits.

“It comes down to a sense of belonging,” said Sullivan. “Unified sports give students who may face barriers the opportunity to feel like they truly belong, and that’s a foundational part of a strong high school experience.”

Students, teachers, staff, and athletes’ families all show up to the games and always push for encouragement. 

“If you want to understand the impact, just come watch a game,” Sullivan said, “You’ll see the joy, the excitement, and the way students genuinely celebrate each other’s success when they score a basket or knock down pins. And those connections don’t stop after the game. They carry into the hallways, the classrooms, and everyday life.”

Nichols has also noticed the growing support of the teams and said the atmosphere of the games has felt really special.

“We have a lot of the student body come out to watch our games,” she said, “It becomes a whole community experience: other athletic teams, teachers, and families all coming together to celebrate our athletes.”

For Nichols, some of the most memorable moments come from whenever a former athlete returns to the school, and hearing what they have to say about the program and how it impacted them.

“We’ve had students come back and talk about how this was one of the most rewarding experiences of their high school career,” she said, “That really speaks to the impact of the program.”

Davis Lamb  is a student at Endicott College studying journalism. This story was published in partnership with the Massachusetts News Service.