| WEST
SPRINGFIELD - Pupils of the Fausey Elementary School are climbing
the wall, literally - and their teachers are pleased about it.
The
school's Parent-Teacher Organization raised $13,000 to build a
climbing wall in the gymnasium.
It
is a horizontal wall that stretches 64 feet along one of the gymnasium
walls. Its design allows children in Grades 1-5 to climb, using
hand-holds and foot-holds, from one end of the wall to the other.
The
wall looks like a grey stone wall with large blobs of clay thrown
randomly at it. The blobs are what the children cling to in order
to traverse the structure.
Physical
education teacher Michele M. Feeley said this week, "This has
been the biggest treat for them that they've had in a long while."
She
said the different-colored blobs provide different paths to follow,
each with its own challenges.
"Some
kids are already challenging themselves, trying to use just one
color" to get across, Feeley noted.
Safety
is paramount. Large mats, which are locked in to block off the
wall when it is not in use, cushion the floor when children are
climbing. No foot-hold is higher than 3 feet off the ground.
A
squiggly red line marks the spot where the foot-holds end and
the hand-holds begin. All holds are bolted in, but they can be
switched to vary the course.
The
course came pre-set. Feeley left it the way it was for several
days to see if children got stuck at any point, and then made
adjustments. One adjustment was merely to turn one of the holds
around so that hands could grip it more securely.
All
ages use the wall, and special-needs children particularly benefit.
"It
has been a godsend to the special population," Feeley said. |
 |
The
children love the wall because it is fun.
Teachers
value it because it can be used to teach and reinforce more than
just physical fitness.
"You
can hit every physical, cognitive, social, emotional standard
there is," Feeley said.
The
children learn short-term and long-term goals. They build trust
and cooperation, and learn to ask for help in a positive way,
she said.
There
is additional gear - including letters, numbers, and dry-erase
boards - that can be affixed to foot-holds and hand-holds. Children
learning about the parts of speech, for example, can be asked
to follow a path of holds that shows only nouns or verbs.
Fausey
pupils give the wall rave reviews.
For
Timothy Congo, 8, climbing the Fausey wall was his first try at
serious climbing.
"I
thought it was awesome," he said. The height did not frighten
him "because of the mats."
Courtney
Harlow, 8, said she climbed on a wall at the Eastern States Exposition,
but found this one more fun.
"You
can pick your own color," she said.
Aswa
Sabir, 9, looks forward to wall-time.
"It's
challenging going across," she said.
Feeley
said the children helped to raise money to purchase and erect
the wall last year by getting sponsors for a walk-a-thon. They
raised $5,200.
Even
fifth-graders, who are now sixth-graders at the Middle School,
helped out. In fact, the former fifth-grade students, who do not
benefit from the wall, raised the most money of any of the classes.
"What
a legacy to leave," Feeley added. |
