Walters Elementary highlights Unified Champion School work, sensory room and inclusive playground gift

Marcy Heidrick, principal of Walters Elementary School, and Walters staff described on April 14 how the building has expanded inclusive programming, added a sensory room and installed an accessible playground donated in memory of a former staff member.

The presentations focused on Walters' work to include students with disabilities in classroom and schoolwide activities and on concrete supports that the building added this year. School leaders said those changes contributed to Walters earning designation as a Unified Champion School.

"We became this year a Unified Champion School," said Leslie Booth, who teaches students with cognitive impairment at Walters. Booth described Walters' peer‑to‑peer and whole‑school inclusion activities, including a school assembly and a signed inclusion pledge. She said the school met three program qualifications for the Unified Champion designation: peer‑to‑peer mentorship, whole‑school engagement and inclusive sports activities. Booth said the school received a…