Brighton High School’s Unified team has just finished its winter season with a home game against Belleville on March 3, 2025. The game concluded a season of victories and sportsmanship.
Unified sports first came to Brighton in 2015 and was created with the purpose of bringing all the students of BHS together through sportsmanship.
Mrs. Renicker, one of Unified’s main leaders, said, “Unified sports join people with and without disabilities together on the same team. It was inspired by the simple idea that training and competing together is a quick path to friendship, understanding and acceptance.”
There are many reasons for students to join the Unified sports team. Mrs. Renicker said, “Making friends, getting involved and playing sports are the top three reasons that I encourage students to join Unified. Many students join because they simply enjoy sports and competing with their classmates against other Unified teams from the KLAA. Another great reason to join Unified is that it is a great way to get involved in your school community. Not everyone can play varsity soccer or varsity basketball here at BHS. Unified is a great way to be involved in our school and enjoy sports at the same time.”
While Mrs. Renicker is one of the main leaders of Unified, she was not the original founder of the team. Mrs. Renicker said, “Mr. Doupe coached Unified in Pinckney before coming to BHS. He was the one that started Unified here at BHS. When we started, there were only a few teams that we could play, but we could tell that it was going to be something special at BHS. With the help of Mr. Thompson, we now compete in the KLAA Unified Sports league. We are so grateful to our administration here at BHS that also understands how important Unified Sports is to developing a culture of acceptance and respect.”
“I have a lot of core memories related to Unified, but the one that stands out most is from our assembly game last year. Parker Brown shot a three-pointer, and the student body went crazy, chanting his name over and over. I was so proud of him and our student body for showing what inclusion and acceptance really looks like,” said Mrs. Renciker when describing some of her favorite Unified moments.
The Unified team competes against several schools and accomplishes many things throughout a school year.
“In 2018, Brighton Unified was named a top 5 Unified Champion School by ESPN,” said Mrs. Renicker.
Unified sports is a great representation of the supportive and accepting environment at BHS. The students of Brighton High School show their support by cheering loudly at assemblies or by showing up to Unified games. The Unified team will continue to shine when they start their soccer season later this year.
