Hurley Middle School Receives Banner Recognition

Hurley Middle School is one of the 19 schools in Massachusetts and one of 202 schools nationwide to receive National Banner recognition for providing

Special Olympics Unified Champion School programming. In addition, Hurley received Spotlight status from the New England League of Middle Schools, a non-profit organization representing 300 middle schools in the six New England states.

At an all school assembly held on March 20, the teachers, staff, and students were recognized for academic excellence.

The honor reflects the school’s success in meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect.

Principal Alexis Bouchard noted the Spotlight status was in recognition of the middle school’s core values, “being in place to keep everyone grounded, to guide us to success by being safe, kind, responsible and respectful.”

“We look for effort,” Bouchard said. “You are responsible for your own learning.”

The Unified Champion Schools model is a strategic framework for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement.

In Massachusetts, more than 369 schools are involved in Unified Champion Schools programming, and across the United States, 10,000 schools, including those in the 49 states, the District Columbia, and Puerto Rico, are engaged in this initiative.

Bouchard also touted “substantial growth” in the MCAS assessment for the 2023-2024 academic year, and recognized students who had improved their test scores over the previous year.