Darien Unified sports at Fairfield Ludlowe High School for Fall Tournament of 2023

Unified Sports has been an active program for about five years at Darien High School and has continued to be a very inclusive environment for all athletes. The FCIAC has involved Unified in every sports season: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Darien High School Athletic Director Mr. Chris Manfredonia and Unified Sports Head Coach Mr. Paul Brager at the helm, the Unified program is continuing to push forward for a brighter future.

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® successfully demonstrate a commitment to inclusion by fully adopting three components: the Special Olympics Unified Sports program, Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole School Engagement. The Unified Sports program has been around for a long time and plans to be a part of Blue Wave athletics for a long time.  The program has spread to 8,000 schools and includes sports for each season.

Coach Brager has been the Head Coach of Unified at DHS for a number of years. He started out being the Assistant Coach with the first Head Coach, Ms. Lori LaRusso. Mr. Brager’s favorite thing about Unified Sports is seeing all of the relationships form. As he took on this new role, Mr. Brager has added to the program. He has increased the size of enrollment and added different helpers to the program. Mr Brager started out coaching only the basketball season and has now become a Head Coach for all the seasons. “I became involved in Unified for the very first year that we did basketball.  Coach Lori LaRusso was actually the very first coach of the basketball season and [Ms. MaryEllen] Fazio and I were the assistants. Together the three of us tried it out.” Unified became more important and involved at DHS with the help of the dedicated staff.

Unified Sports started in Darien about 10 years ago. It has received grants from the CIAC which is the governing body of high school athletics in the state of Connecticut. The CIAC was offering schools grant money for programming so DHS took advantage of that.  The Athletics Department used that money to get coaches, uniforms, and equipment.  In that time, the program has blossomed.  The Board of Education supports varsity sports and we’re really excited we’ve had Unified Sports for the last 10 years.

Athletic Director Mr. Chris Manfredonia said, “I think my favorite part of Unified Sports here at DHS is getting to see kids getting the opportunity to compete, and practice here at Darien High School. And at end-of-year tournaments among the schools is the best part of seeing the Unified Sports program.” He supports this team, he knows how much it means to the athletes and how it can impact other athletes in the future. Mr. Manfredonia has shown support for this program since it came to Darien which has impacted the athletes in a very important way.

Darien Unifed Baseketball Dominating at Fairfield Ludlowe High School

Principal Ms. Ellen Dunn shared with me that Unified Sports has made a strong impact on the DHS community. Involvement in Unified Sports has grown year after year and currently has over 50 members. The popularity of the program has made a strong impact on the school community. In the past years, Principal Dunn has attended the Unified Sports tournaments to support the Blue Wave along with the athletes who enjoy the thrill of representing their school. Kids compete in soccer, basketball, and track. Unified Sports now has three seasons making it the only year-round athletic program in the school. “I think the Unified Program builds a community because it brings together our students from different kinds of backgrounds and sporting events and it allows us to be together in the community as I was saying before support one another, encourage one another, and celebrate and it’s one of the best opportunities to see our Blue Wave pride in action,” Ms. Dunn said. The important factor to know is how the support from Principal Dunn has impacted the athletes and how it makes them feel about playing on an amazing team. The school staff has shown support for the Unified team by attending the team tournaments and has made a terrific impact on the athletes. Many teachers travel to our games in Fairfield and attend our jam-packed home games.

Darien Unified Sports at Fairfield Ludlowe High School for Spring Tournament

Senior Liv Maher has been involved with Unified for a long time and is now one of four appointed captains voted on by the team. Maher has been a very dedicated member of Unified who has attended every season with energy and enthusiasm which brings the motivation for many kids on the roster. Liv leads by example when she cheers on her teammates and opposing players, showing great sportsmanship. Maher has enjoyed every minute of unified and even told her friends “It’s Fun  being on a team with people that you appreciate and people that appreciate you.” Like Maher, many of the Unified athletes really feel happy when their classmates, teachers, and families show up to the games. The important part to know is how athletes like Maher have loved being on a team like this one in Darien.  Darien has been a team of support and happiness, which are two traits that every player on the team possesses. Like any other sport, athletes thrive on big moments. Unified Sports has created an environment where people come to support us and pack the house with cheers and enthusiasm. It gives all the athletes the juice to win.

Mr. Davis Depp is an alumnus of DHS’ Unified Sports program.  He was on it from his freshman year to graduating from DHS in 2023. Depp enjoyed every single season of every year he’s been at DHS but has shown people what it is like to be a leader.  A highlight from his time here was when he was voted captain in the fall of 2023. Depp was also a perfect friend to many kids who had trouble getting involved in the program by showing them the way to be successful on the field along with the friendships that he formed here at DHS.  “Being a part of Unified throughout high school was one of my favorite moments because of the connections and friends you get out of it. But also because it teaches a lot of important skills and traits to have. In my overall high school experience, Unified has had a big role in shaping me as a person,” Depp said. When starting college at UConn, he noticed all his experience with Unified had helped him in college. Unified has affected many people like current students, principals, and alumni but has also affected the campus monitors here at DHS when they get to keep score at the basketball games. 

When Unified came to DHS last winter for basketball, Unified held their first home game in the Main Gym which involved some Campus Monitors like Mr. Rick Butler who has been at DHS for quite some time. Butler has been one of the best here at DHS when keeping people safe, but also for keeping score for Unified Darien Varsity Basketball at DHS as well. When I asked Mr. Butler if he liked running the stats at games he said, “That’s a good question. I do like to keep score; it’s also nice to know who is winning or losing.” An important fact to understand is how much fun it is when members of the DHS community show respect and support for other towns’ teams who play against DHS. Keeping score has been fun for the campus members at DHS, like Mr. Butler.

Darien’s Unified Sports invited to leadership summit at Staples High School in Westport

In October, members of Darien Unified were invited to a leadership summit at Staples High School in Westport to learn the traits and qualities that it takes to be a leader in the Unified Program and how it can shape a brighter future for Unified Sports in all schools, including DHS. Learning these qualities can shape many future leaders of Unified like me and other kids who decide to sign up which can again form a brighter future for Unified Sports here at Darien and beyond.