Former SMS hallway abounds with activity

Editors note: This is the final article in a series of stories focused on some of the new electives at Sandpoint Middle School. In collaboration with eighth-grade media arts students, this article will take a look at the advanced fitness class, which has become a favorite among SMS students.

By MARY MALONE

Staff writer

and KARSEN GRANIER

Sandpoint Middle School

Media arts student

SANDPOINT — An old, unused hallway at Sandpoint Middle School now bustles with activity on a daily basis as it is used for one of the most popular new electives in the school.

After adding some turf along 70 feet of the 12-foot wide hallway, it is now an advanced fitness class, which teaches kids how to move.

"We get them and they move like junior high kids, and when they leave they move safer than junior high kids," said instructor Troy Holt. "They are definitely faster and much quicker, but safer, and their movement forms are more efficient."

He said it is a full-body, functional movement class where students work on things like speed, agility and proper form. The class is ideal for students in sports, Holt said, because it teaches them things like how to jump and land without hurting themselves.

"I wanted to increase my skills for sports," said eighth-grader Zac Kohal when asked why he decided to sign up for the 16-week class.

Zac plays football and soccer, so he said his favorite part of the class so far was learning the footwork.

Footwork includes lateral shuffle and change of direction, so students can learn how to play defense laterally by creating force to efficiently and effectively move from side to side, Holt said. Crossover acceleration is another form of footwork, where the kids learn how to play defense laterally with the power of the lower half for running; retreat skills teach them how to backpedal quickly and efficiently with good body positioning so they can change direction safely, and acceleration, which teaches them proper techniques in straight speed running.

"Simply put, these skills help the students control their bodies in space, at any given time, or at any speed both effectively and efficiently," Holt said. "We are trying to create safe kids."

While it is a great class for athletes to learn skills they need, Holt said it is also enjoyed by many students not in sports.

"They’re in there because it’s something individualized and it works at their pace, not somebody else’s pace ... an athlete could be further ahead than a non-athlete," Holt said.

SMS principal Casey McLaughlin said the idea to turn the old hallway into a fitness room was the brainchild of the physical education department, including Holt and Tonya Sparks, and really took off in popularity this year.

"It amazes me how many students want to be in here and be involved," McLaughlin said.

Holt said the room holds a maximum of 26 students per class, which, when it started was three class periods, but is now at five classes two to three days per week. He said the department is going to try and raise money to finish the remaining 60 feet of hallway space. With the extra space, he said the hallway would hold around 35 students, but as a teacher, he said a class size of 30 will be about the maximum he would like to see each class period.

In total, about 20 electives were added this year at the middle school. Another new elective that falls into the fitness category is dance. Taught by Alyssa Remsen, students learn the art of hip-hop, jazz, lyrical and contemporary dance, as well as some basic ballet and modern techniques. Dance is actually under the category of fine arts and humanities, which also included electives of art and creative writing. Performing arts electives include traditional courses like choir and band, as well as rhythm and drums.

Other SMS electives include several science electives, career technical classes, media and social studies.

Many of the additions add more activity and hands-on learning, which can give kids, especially those who might not be so good at things like math, something they connect with. McLaughlin said by going from a traditional schedule to a block schedule, the school was able to add the electives without incurring any extra costs or having to hire any more staff.

"There is some neat things going on," McLaughlin said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.