Three Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Unified bocce teams won a gold medal, and one earned a bronze, at the March 11 Unified Bocce State Tournament.

Held at Hagerstown Community College, the tournament featured 31 teams from around the state competing in eight divisions.

La Plata High School Team 3, Maurice J. Donough High School Team 1 and North Point High School Team 2 each took home the gold in their respective divisions, while a blended team of students from McDonough and Thomas Stone high schools walked away with a bronze medal. The gold medal winners will be honored by the Board of Education of Charles County later this year for being state champions.

High schools compete in Unified sports in teams made up of students with and without intellectual disabilities. A program of Special Olympics, Unified sports was inspired by the principle that training and playing together offers a pathway to friendship and understanding.

Other Unified sports offered by CCPS are tennis in the fall and track and field in the spring.

La Plata’s team is coached by William Boehm, technology education teacher, and Stephanie Barry, special education teacher. Team members are Aiden Drumm, Leyla Escalante, Datiel Golden, Morgan Grove, Lily Hodgson, Sophie Huntt, Abby Kirby, Rachel Peterson, Sophie Payne and Daphne Teeguarden.

McDonough Team 1 is coached by David Bradshaw, physical education teacher, and Matt Petricoin, vision teacher with special education. Team members are Michael Brill, Malachi Faxon, Logan Gray, Nicholas Mudd, Landon Newsome, Sebastian Romero and James Taft.

The North Point team is coached by Charles Burch, carpentry teacher. Team members are Gerel Hancock, Emily Herscher, Aidan Metzgar, Tafari Perry, Carly Roberts and Landon Smith. 

The McDonough-Stone team is coached by Bradshaw, Petricoin and Dakeisha Anderson, a special education teacher at Stone. Team members are Julio Caballero, Frank Cook, Lucas Cook, James Howison, A.J. Scott, Colton Scott and Nico Silverans.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 28,162 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.  CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).