The face of Unified Bocce: Jimmy “The Miracle” Shea

Byline photo of Tyler Agriss
Tyler Agriss, Associate Editor
February 27, 2026
A very familiar face: North Penn High School's Jimmy Shea has been a force on the Knights' Unified Bocce team.
A very familiar face: North Penn High School’s Jimmy Shea has been a force on the Knights’ Unified Bocce team.

5 years ago, Unified Bocce welcomed a new member, Jimmy Shea. After years and years of practice, commitment, and drive, Jimmy Shea has become the heart of Unified Bocce. 

Shea has been playing for the North Penn Unified Bocce team since the 2021-2022 season. From the very beginning, Jimmy has taken Unified Bocce very seriously. 

“Jimmy is incredibly competitive, he takes bocce seriously and he always wants to win,” Unified Bocce coach Mrs. Sue Ahart said. 

Jimmy’s leadership, competitive nature, and strive to win has made him an incredibly dependable athlete and teammate. 

“Jimmy is a very strong player, so much so that I depend on him to model and teach those new to bocce how to play. His teammates lean on him as well,” Ahart stated. 

This year alone, Jimmy has played in 2 tie breaker games. Both times, Jimmy delivered, winning the matches for North Penn. His ability to perform and execute in critical moments coined him the nickname, Jimmy “the miracle” Shea. 

 

“Jimmy is a great teammate and player. He treats practices and matches very seriously, but also knows that the number one rule of bocce is to have fun,” North Penn Unified Bocce senior Emily Kralik added. 

Jimmy has many memories from his time in Unified Bocce but his absolute favorite memory was his trip to states. He also loves the ability to be able to hangout and talk with his friends during

practices and games. 

Although Jimmy admits his favorite extracurricular is Unified Bocce, he participates in other activities as well. 

“My favorite activities besides Bocce are Unified Track and Lacrosse,” Shea explained. 

In school, Jimmy is in the Post-12 program here at North Penn. This program allows students with disabilities to learn independent living skills for their life after North Penn. Students in the program take some classes at North Penn, but then also go out into the community and gain work experience. 

“I like to go out to work. My favorite class would probably be math,”

The Shea Way: Jimmy Shea rolls during a Unified Bocce match at North Penn High School.

Shea stated. 

Although this is Jimmy Shea’s last year in the Post-12 program and last year playing Unified Bocce at North Penn, teammates, coaches, and everyone at North Penn will miss Jimmy’s uplifting attitude and smiling face. 

“My favorite memories from North Penn are seeing my best friends at school,” Shea ended.