BEREA —
If you want to play in the Hawk's Nest at Shannon Johnson Elementary School, you have to be quick on your feet.
In the Hawk's Nest, commonly known as a “Gaga Pit,” around 15 fifth-graders were trying to avoid getting hit by a bouncy ball while inside of an enclosed wooden ring. At the same time, they were exercising throughout their entire 25-minute recess, said Hannah Edmondson, Fit Lab instructor at Shannon Johnson.
Groups of students rotate each game and can usually squeeze in five to six rounds during that 25-minute period, she said.
The rules are simple: Don't let the ball hit below your knees, don't knock the ball out of the Nest, only use your hands and don't touch the ball twice in a row. An elected referee makes the tough calls to decide who stays and who goes.
Eventually the numbers dwindle down to only two students in the Nest. They dodge, twist, run, dive and lurch to avoid the bouncy ball until there is only one student — the winner — is left standing.
The Hawk's Nest was one of the projects funded by a $2,500 “Praiseworthy Pioneer” award from ChildObesity180, an organization committed to childhood obesity prevention.
The Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP),a ChildObesity-180 initiative, launched the competition in February in commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America, according to a release from Madison County Schools.
The competition awarded schools with the “most creative, impactful, and scalable school-based programs and technologies to promote children's physical activity,” the release stated.
First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged participants in the competition with a call for applications via a video message.
Shannon Johnson used the money to improve outside activities for students to use during recess to provide more structured activities, such as the Hawk's Nest. The school also plans to provide activities that families can utilize after school hours.
The school purchased a game called Nine-Square-In-The-Air that is played in the gymnasium.
Nine-Square is a variation of the common playground game called Four-Square, a fast-paced game similar to volleyball, but with nine players situated in a grid.
Every elementary student will learn to play the game as soon as they get to second grade, Edmondson told a group of kindergarteners who got to watch their older classmates play the game Monday.
Shannon Johnson also plans to start a tennis program that will include an after-school tennis team, as well as the sport added to the school's curriculum. The funds will be used to purchase racquets, balls and a ball machine.
Crystal Wylie can be reached at cwylie@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 6696.
Education
Related Photos
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Alyssa Evans passes the ball to a different square during Nine-Square-In-The-Sky, one of the activities purchased by the $2,500 Praiseworthy Pionner award. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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Carly McDonald, right, dodges the ball in the Hawk's Nest Monday during fifth-grade recess. Also pictured, from left, Dawson Meadows, Trent Moberly and Koby Rodgers. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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Fifth-grader Hailey Howard tries to keep the ball from falling in her square during a game of Nine-Square-In-The-Air Monday in the Shannon Johnson gymnasium. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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Kennedy Story smacks the ball at Clay Tinsley in an attempt to strike him below the knee and eliminate him from the Hawk's Nest. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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Clay Tinsley returns the ball to Kennedy Story who leaps over it to survive the attack. Kennedy smacks it back to eliminate Clay from the game. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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Kennedy Story rolls the ball at Eman Patel and eventually strikes below his knee to become the winner in the Hawk's Nest. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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The rules are simple in the Hawk's Nest: Don't let the ball hit below your knees, don't knock the ball out of the Nest, only use your hands and don't touch the ball twice in a row. An elected referee makes the tough calls to decide who stays and who goes. Crystal Wylie/The Register
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Hunter Shepard, middle, tries to decide who he will serve the ball to during a game of Nine-Square-In-The-Air Monday in the Shannon Johnson gymnasium. Also pictured, from left, Ryan Kidd, Alyssa Evans and Olivia Johnson. Crystal Wylie/The Register
Students cleared for landing in the Hawk's Nest
Shannon Johnson Elementary wins money to promote physical activity during and after school
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