McNary teacher Kelly Parcel says Unified program builds relationships, skills and workplace readiness

Kelly Parcel, a special education teacher and the Unified coordinator at McNary, said the schoolUnified program consistently excites students and helps them build lasting relationships and practical skills. "My kids are so excited every day for Unified," she said, adding that no other class generates the same daily enthusiasm.

Parcel told the transcript that partner students and students with disabilities form connections that endure beyond a single school year. "There's not a day that goes by when they don't see some friend from 1 of their unified classes, even if it's 2 years ago," she said, and noted those relationships "just grow over the next 4 years for them." She said staff observe greater growth in leadership, communication and social skills in unified settings than in other classroom environments.

Parcel described the program as helping participants find their passion and as preparing students for post-high-school life. "They're going to go into the workplace after high school and be interacting with everyone that they see in high school right now," she said, arguing that familiarity and practiced social skills will help students be "comfortable" in broader settings.

She also emphasized staff benefits: working in Unified classes changes how teachers approach instruction and student support because they can observe different forms of growth across peer groups. "It helps us think about the world of education so much differently," Parcel said, and closed by saying, "There is no more joy in the school than in our unified programs."

The transcript contains this testimony but does not record any formal motion, vote or administrative decision tied to these remarks. The speaker identified herself on the record as Kelly Parcel and as the Unified coordinator at McNary; no additional speakers or responses to these remarks appear in the provided transcript.