Outdoor Living gets high schoolers moving in innovative PE class
For the second summer in a row, Alyson Abernathy enrolled in physical education. It’s hard for the Kickapoo High School junior to fit PE in her schedule during the regular school year. And this year, when she saw the class description of Outdoor Living, she knew she wanted to sign up for the Explore class.
“My friend and I were looking through the PE classes and we were like, Outdoor Living sounds really fun,” said Alyson. “We decided to take it over the summer, and it’s been really fun. I like how we do stuff like this, because canoeing in the pool was really fun. It’s not just us sitting in the classroom.”
On June 18-19, nearly 100 SPS high schoolers visited the Missouri State Foster Recreation Center to participate in outdoor activities. MSU recreation team members and lifeguards facilitated canoe battles, where teams of students would dump water into each other’s canoes in an attempt to sink them.
Outdoor Living #Explore class Canoe Battling @MissouriState today! Great experience for our @officialSPS students! pic.twitter.com/pF1O17nrY5
— BradBrummel (@CoachBrum) June 18, 2019
“It’s been great to see the students battle each other in the pool,” said Zach Julian, Outdoor Living and Westport teacher. “They’re having a lot of fun, and for some of them, it’s the first time they’ve been in a canoe. We want to introduce them to activities they can do to stay active outside.”
After they dried off, students were then challenged to rock climb. Overseen by two trained belayers, students climbed the Recreation Center’s rock wall, coached and encouraged by fellow students and MSU Recreation staff. The two activities in its field trip were made possible thanks to a new partnership with Missouri State University and SPS Explore Physical Education courses, said Brad Brummel, coordinator of physical education and health.
“We wanted students to learn canoe skills in a water setting and rock climbing skills on a rock wall, which they’ve been learning about in class this week,” said Brummel. “We were able to combine those experiences into one engaging field experience. It’s a win-win for Missouri State and SPS. Students get to have an engaging field experience, while also getting to spend time on MSU’s campus.”
More than 150 PE students this summer will be engaging in hands-on, fun field experiences while staying active. Last week, more than 100 Outdoor Living students fished at Bois D’Arc Aquatic Education Center, supported by the Missouri Department of Conservation. After completing their fishing unit and fishing field trip, the students were invited by the Missouri Department of Conservation to come back to Bois D’Arc with their families for a free day of fishing. More than 50 students took the MDC up on their offer.
“We’re always trying to find creative ways to engage high school students in physical activity setting,” said Brummel. “We’re trying to show them that physical activity can be fun and something they can be passionate about. Hopefully, this will lead to a life-long pursuit of healthy, active living.”