First-year teacher John Breault, 22, a Dartmouth High graduate, has been volunteering with the school’s Special Olympics summer program since he was in the fifth grade. He said it was the summer track and field games at Special Olympics that brought forth the idea of “unified sports.”

“At Dartmouth High, unified sports is just starting to bud. We’re trying to grow,” said Breault.

Unified sports takes students from the general population and students from the special education program and joins them together on the same sports team. The unified track program was a big hit last spring, so the program has since expanded to include unified color guard and basketball.

Breault works as both a coach for unified sports and an inclusion teacher, where he co-teaches with an English teacher, helping seniors who have learning disabilities.

“Traditionally, you have varsity sports and Special Olympics, and they don’t coincide with one another. The idea of unified sports is it puts those differences apart and brings [students] together,” he said.

Breault thinks the program is perfect for the community because the Dartmouth public school system “has always been receptive to kids with special needs.” He said the students have been highly supportive of the program, too.

“Dartmouth, in particular, is really inclusive,” said special ed teacher Ashley Kocur-Pierpont, 29. “I went through Dartmouth schools and special education students were in my classes throughout elementary, middle and high school. It’s still that way.”

Kocur-Pierpont has 13 students in her class with developmental disabilities. Her students will spend half of their day in her classroom where they will learn math and English through individualized instruction. They spend the rest of their day taking general electives.

The school also offers a learning partners program that invites students from outside the special education program to pair up with Kocur-Pierpont’s students to help them with school work.

“Everybody rallies around our kids. Everybody knows them. Everybody loves them. Dartmouth is a great place for students like mine to feel like they’re part of the crowd.”

Breault said that, when this year’s unified basketball team began in the fall, it was so popular that they had to turn some students away. The team of 17 was made up of nine athletes, the special ed students, and eight partners. The team played three regular season games and two games in an end-of-the-season tournament.

“If you want to go for records, I think we were 2-3, but it doesn’t matter,” said Breault. “The kids had a blast. They enjoyed practice and they learned a lot. It was an incredible experience. We’re excited to get back to it in the fall.”

He thinks that, next year, the school may be able to assemble two or three teams because of the sheer number of kids who have expressed interest. Students are already thinking about next year’s unified sports teams, too.

“One of my learning partners this year, Leandra Burton, is a student who wanted to do something to help raise awareness about unified sports,” said Kocur-Pierpont.

Burton created a fundraiser that tasked students to make and sell ornaments, which were on sale for $2. Kocur-Pierpont said she estimated that the fundraiser would bring in about $150, but the group brought in $530.

“Leandra’s whole purpose of creating this fundraiser was to try and get our students brand new jerseys for the unified track and unified basketball teams. We’ve got more than enough money to make that happen,” she said.

Breault said the program is more than just giving every student a chance to try out a sport.

“You learn a ton, whether you’re learning about friendships, teamwork or determination. They don’t let their disabilities affect them,” he said. “It’s how sports should be. It’s about having fun and not so much about winning.”