Portable court brings bocce culture to Italian language class at US school

An impassioned video pitch from a group of students studying Italian at a school in the USA has led to the donation a Mini Packabocce court to support hands-on language and culture lessons.

The high-quality inflatable bocce ball court was provided to Hazlet Middle School in Monmouth County, New Jersey, after Italian teacher Antonia Gazzillo and her students made a personal plea to Packaworld CEO Peter Roberts, asking for a court to use in their classes.

Ms Gazzillo said she was keen to harness bocce ball to bring a touch of Italian culture into students’ lessons, keeping them engaged and in a fun and social way.

“I’ve always wanted to play bocce with my students,” she said. “The past year has been a real challenge because of Covid-19 and I wanted to be able to offer this experience to my students as there were class trips we could not go on.

​“Next year I plan to use the court when we study verbs in class. This unit usually incorporates a lot of sports so I’d be able to connect the linguistic structures and culture, showing how these aspects of language learning are truly interconnected."

Ms Gazzillo and her 16 honours class students sent emails and videos to Mr Roberts explaining how they – and the rest of the school – would benefit from a Mini Packabocce court.

Many of the reasons given by students for requesting the court had to do with improving physical activity and social connection in light of the pandemic. 

“I noticed that kids have been [less motivated] to do things,” one student said. 

“So it [Packabocce] will give kids who have been staying a reason to come to school … plus it will teach us a lot more about Italian culture.”
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Mr Roberts said he was overwhelmed and humbled by the students’ messages and passion for learning, especially during the difficult times caused by the pandemic.

“As the students so eloquently reminded us in the videos they sent, sport is something that brings people together, unifies us, teaches us, and helps us be active, social and have fun in the process,” Mr Roberts said.

“The benefits of using bocce courts for student activities and educational outcomes are truly immense, as Ms Gazzillo and her class have shown.”

The court was well received by Hazlet Middle School and Ms Gazzillo, who believed bocce should be introduced at more schools. 

“I would like to thank Peter Roberts and Packaworld for making this vision a reality,” she said.

“It was so heart-warming to see students who don’t know each other all that well, or who wouldn’t normally play sports together, get the opportunity to play this game I grew up playing as a child. 

“Bocce truly brings people together. After a year like this one, it was much needed. Mille grazie!”

Mini Packabocce courts are ideal for limited indoor and outdoor spaces. The court is easy to pump up and pack away into a tidy wheelie bag.