High school can be a real social roller coaster sometimes. With friendships constantly being tested and friend groups being formed every day, it can be difficult not to conform to societal norms. This is especially true for people who don’t know any of the other students, just like me when I joined Unified Community Projects. However, as soon as I put my foot through the door, it was clear to me that this would never be a problem.

At its most basic level, Unified Community Projects is a course that integrates students who receive special education with the rest of their high school peers in order for them to be more naturally included with the rest of the school. There, all students engage in activities ranging from science experiments to writing articles, all organized by the wonderful Mrs. Fleming. The class is open to all students at Natick High School and is consistently in high demand since there can only be one peer for each access student. 

So the underlying question becomes why is this program so successful? Having gone through about two months of this program myself, I think it’s because of its welcoming environment. Unified Community Projects’ environment is so easy to like because there’s never a sense of social awkwardness. Every student participates with enthusiasm and actively wants to be in the classroom, which is hard to say for any of my other classes. It is because of this that it’s so easy to create strong friendships in short periods of time, which many peers say is their core reason for sticking with the program.

Cam Brenneman ’23, who’s taken the class her entire high school career, says she “finds new connections within the community” every year, whether they’re access students that she gets to work with one-on-one for the first time or peers that have just joined the program. 

Another crucial benefit to the program is the inclusivity it promotes to all its students. Mrs. Fleming, one of the directors of special education, “think[s] it creates a general inclusive atmosphere at Natick High”, making it so that every access student can feel accepted and comfortable at our school. People with special needs are present in most everyday scenarios, and this program helps educate Natick High School students on what they are like and how to more effectively communicate with them. This can prevent so much of the negative stigma that Natick High access students, unfortunately, experience all too often. 

Although there are countless benefits for access students, there are equally as many for peers of the program. Similarly to how the course gives Access students a better understanding of their classmates, it helps peers develop a better understanding of access students. Furthermore, although most people who join the program join it with an open mind, the benefits go beyond becoming more inclusive. Strategies taught in the program help peers understand how to effectively communicate with all types of people with special needs. Knowing these strategies can help in everyday scenarios, such as meeting coworkers or simply talking to a cashier at the grocery store. This was particularly useful to me when I met my coworker, Jordan. She and I are friends exclusively because I knew how to correctly approach her and start a conversation.

If you can’t take the class Unified Community Connections, there are plenty of other ways to join this accepting community. There is a Connections Club after school in room 237 every Tuesday, which functions very similarly to Unified Community Connections, as well as Unified Wellness. There are also plenty of other opportunities to work with access students outside of school, such as Camp Arrowhead, the Skyline Program, and Polar Plunge. Spending time with people with social needs is a fun and rewarding experience, so I highly recommend joining any of these programs.