‘Fun, heartwarming’: Greensburg Salem to start bocce team for general, special education students

Bocce will be added to Greensburg Salem High School’s winter sports lineup this year.

The school board voted unanimously this week to start a bocce team pairing students who have intellectual disabilities with ones who don’t.

The team is part of the Special Olympics’ 13-year-old Unified Champion Schools program, which uses sports as a vehicle to make schools more inclusive. Participation has exploded in recent years, from about 150 schools in 2020 to more than 400 today.

There are about 60 schools participating in Unified sports in Allegheny County and about a dozen in Westmoreland County — including Penn-Trafford, which formed a Unified bocce team last school year.

“It’s a fantastic program,” said Greensburg Salem Athletic Director Drake D’Angelo. “I’ve been involved with high school athletics for 20 years, and it’s one of the most fun, heartwarming programs I’ve ever been a part of.”

A 1999 Hempfield Area graduate, D’Angelo worked in the Burrell School District for nearly seven years before coming to Greensburg Salem in February. He helped the district start a Unified bocce team in 2022.

D’Angelo mentioned the Unified Champion Schools program to Greensburg Salem Superintendent Ken Bissell during his interview for the athletic director position. Bissell said the team will help build students’ character and empathy for people of all abilities.

“This is an opportunity where our students with severe special needs can compete,” Bissell said.

The district will work with the Special Olympics to certify teachers to serve as coaches and officials for the bocce team, D’Angelo said. Students will be able to sign up for the team this winter.

The Special Olympics will provide the equipment — uniforms, bocce balls and an indoor court made out of PVC pipe — and a coaching stipend for the team’s first two years, D’Angelo said.

The team needs eight students to compete — at least four of whom must be enrolled in the school’s special education program, D’Angelo said.

Unified sports have an impact on students on and off the court, D’Angelo said. One Burrell student decided to pursue a special education degree in college because of her experience on the Unified bocce team, he said.

“I know in particular one of our individuals who was on the team there would sing the national anthem before the matches, and it was just fantastic,” he said. “It endorses inclusion and just being able to come together and be positive.”