Beginning at Bellefonte ten years ago, the Bocce Ball team has grown immensely over the past eight years. The team helps students with disabilities to develop team work and communication skills that will benefit them after high school. Best of all, the sport forces its players to build confidence from their performance.
Bocce Ball first started at Bellefonte High in 2018. The goal of the game is to throw a ball in hopes of being the closest to the target. Bellefonte Bocce is a unified sport that allows special education students to build team work and communication skills.
“Preforming the sport they practice in front of a crowd of people can build confidence in these students which will lead to a better future for them,” Senior Evan Guebara said. Evan has played Bocce for all four of his years at Bellefonte, and is forever grateful for his decision to attend a practice freshman year.
“Every memory I can think of makes me happy,” Evan said. His first coach was Mrs. Jennifer Butterworth, but now they are led by Mrs. Billie Heverly.
Mrs. Heverly has seen Bocce Ball gain attention at Bellefonte and feels that people are starting to realize just how important it is to make everyone feel included at Bellefonte. To her, the game is “an equal opportunity that includes everyone!”
While every student can earn a varsity letter in Bocce Ball, the regular education students main purpose is to be mentors to the special education students, and help them earn their letter, an award that can be a huge landmark for them.
“To be part of a team that is an actual PIAA sport and that you can earn a letter for is huge and an opportunity these students would not have had in the past,” Mrs. Heverly said. She has experienced the respect that the athletes and mentors have for one another, especially after they won second place at the Regional Wilds Championship games.
“It gives the special education students a sense of belonging,” Mrs. Heverly said.
Including the special education students in opportunities like these is so important in helping them build skills for their futures, but also in helping to break the barrier between them and their peers.
