On Jan. 11, Solanco High School's bocce team played its first home game of the season against Penn Manor High School. The team is the first of its kind at Solanco High School, and it was established through a partnership between Solanco School District and Special Olympics Pennsylvania's Unified Sports program.

Bocce is an indoor sport that originated in Italy during the 18th century, although the modern version of the game was developed from games played by the ancient Romans. To start each match, a randomly chosen team throws a small ball called a boccino onto the court. The teams then take turns throwing regular-size bocce balls, and the goal is to get as many balls as possible to land near the boccino. Each round, one point is given to the team with a ball closest to the boccino, and the first team to score 16 points wins the match.

The bocce team at Solanco High School is coached by physical education teacher Kacie Hershey, who is assisted by Sam Fickes. In the past, Hershey has collaborated with Unified Sports to offer activities in her fitness class, and she has attempted to create a track and field program through the Special Olympics for the last two years. Hershey has been unable to establish the track and field program due to a low number of students interested in participating; instead of track and field, school principal Scott Long suggested introducing a bocce program, which only requires eight players to make a team.

"Bocce is a sport that anybody can play. The game can be modified to suit players of any physical ability, and it involves a lot of strategy," Hershey said. "It's been neat to see students working together and helping each other incorporate different tactics during games." Unless a timeout is called, coaches are unable to give players any directions during a match, requiring students to rely on their teammates to achieve victory.

Special Olympics Pennsylvania's Unified Sports program offers opportunities for players with and without intellectual disabilities to participate in various sports together. An equal number of Special Olympics athletes and partner athletes are typically assigned to a team for training activities and competitions, and athletes are matched by age and ability depending on the sport.

"This is the only Special Olympics program at Solanco High School so far, but it will help get the ball rolling with things in the future," Hershey said. "Overall, it's been an overwhelmingly positive experience for everybody."