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HAMILTON: Su un rotolo

Nottingham opens its own bocce court

By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Packet Media Group
HAMILTON — Café tables with umbrellas line the walkway into the courtyard where water cascades over a fountain painted in the colors of Italy and a waterfall splashes into a fish pond filled with koi and goldfish next to Nottingham High School’s new bocce court.
The bocce court is the only one of its kind to be built at a school in the country that offers an Italian language program, according to Italian Professor Frank A. Campione.
In addition, the school has formed a bocce league to allow all Nottingham students and faculty members who would like to join in a game that dates back to the time of the Romans.
Italian students and Italian Club members led by Professor Campione hosted a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the bocce court and the new fish pond and fountain in the courtyard of the school on Oct. 17 to recognize and honor those individuals who helped bring the beautification project to fruition.
"This court next to this school will be appreciated for years to come," Professor Campione said.
Members of the Hamilton Township Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, along with members of the Mercer County Board of Freeholders as well as the president of the International Bocce Federation attended the ceremony.
Professor Campione started the project in 2008 when the courtyard was "overgrown with weeds" and "23 trees that had to be removed because they were rotten and decaying." Over the years, the students conducted numerous fundraisers and garnered the support of various community members and businesses to build the court, the pond and the fountain and to beautify the courtyard. Professor Campione started the Italian Club at the school eight years ago.
"The club was formed to give the students a greater appreciation of the Italian language, culture, customs, history and foods of Italy and to give students studying the Italian language the opportunity to win scholarships," Professor Campione said.
The club is already known for two other firsts — the opening of Café Europa, the country’s first and only café in a classroom that offers Italian specialties, and the only authentic gelato display case in a school in the country, according to Professor Campione.
Being in the Italian Club has its benefits. Both the club members and Italian students travel in December to New York City to visit the tree at Rockefeller Center, Sak’s Fifth Avenue window display, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Museum and the Italian American Museum in Little Italy. Also, students have participated on panels in Italian American studies and conferences sponsored the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Commission, Rutgers University, Montclair University and Rider University and have been exposed to Italian cooking demonstrations.
The Italian club members are planning other activities for the 2014-15 school year. On Nov. 14, the club will sponsor a fundraising tribute to Frank Sinatra in celebration of his upcoming 100th birthday featuring Russ Martone. On April 2, students, parents and staff will once again have the opportunity to travel to Italy for the annual spring break trip. On May 29, the Italian program will be hosting its third annual "Italian Night" of Italian food, music and entertainment.
Membership to the club is open to all Nottingham High School students.
For more information about the Italian Club, visit www.hamilton.k12.nj.us/HamiltonNorth.cfm?subpage=41119.