It's not *just* recess and PE - but that's where we start!

At our lovely little school, there was a sour smell: a left-over policy from a previous administration meant that 4th and 5th grades (still little kids!) were not allowed to use the playground. They left school at the end of their 3rd grade year, happily playing on the play structure, played on play structures all summer, but came back for 4th grade and were denied the playground. Instead, they had to walk around a muddy field, kick a soccer ball, or play 4 square. For many kids, this meant they did nothing because group athletic activities can be overwhelming ... so they were less active.

I saw this problem and started a school-wide petition. I asked parents to submit comments for the petition and the feeling was unanimous: denying 9, 10 and 11 year olds the chance to play on monkey bars and swing on tire swings was hurting their mental health and their confidence. I submitted the petition to our principal who, lucky for us, was open to change. She saw the harm and saw that kids need to be kids. She changed things and the 5th graders - who were denied the playground for 4th grade - went back to playing on the play structure. 

Change happens when we work together. Change happens when we use our voices. 

And kids get to be kids when they get to be more active.

I'm proud of the change I spearheaded. But I'm not done. Two short recesses are not enough time for kids to get their wiggles out. It's not enough fresh air time. It's not enough time to get their blood moving. And it's not enough time for bonding on a playground. I believe kids need MORE recess. It is where their imaginations, and their bodies, get to run wild. It's where we see kids allowed to be kids.

And in a world where technology means kids grow up faster than ever before, MORE RECESS and MORE PE means our kids get to be kids. No school should have to choose *whether* to have PE. Every school should get PE and it should be as often as possible. Between more recesses and more PE programming, PPS kids will thrive!

In fall 2021, after signing my twins up for 2nd grade soccer, a email came out: we have no head coach so the program will be cancelled if nobody steps up. Of course I signed up and have happily, proudly and energetically coached the Sun Dragons grrrrrls soccer team ever since. We don't focus on winning (and we don't often win!) but we have so much fun playing soccer, we are terrific teammates, and all the kids keep coming back for more. Active = happy. I pledge to make movement an integral part of every PPS kid's daily opportunity.