Middle school expands PE classes
Students in Michael Smith’s middle school physical education classes don’t focus on traditional sports such as basketball and soccer and they definitely don’t play dodge ball.
Instead, students do activities such as fishing, navigation and folk dancing, all designed to encourage them to explore their interests, gain life skills and guide them toward a lifelong healthy lifestyle.
“I wanted to make sure the students at the middle school knew our physical education was going to be something they can enjoy, something they can excel in, something they would benefit from not just here at the middle school but throughout the remainder of their lives,” Smith said.
Those activities are about to expand into archery, thanks to a $2,700 grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) to establish the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program (ANASP), Smith told the school board at Thursday’s meeting. The grant will pay for 14 Genesis compound bows, arrows, safety equipment and instructional material, he said. It will enable students to not only explore the sport of archery but possibly go on and compete at the regional, state or even national level, he said.
The ANASP is a part of the National Archery in the Schools Program for students in fourth through 12th grade, according to the AGFC website. In the program, students not only practice their concentration and handeye coordination, but learn about a sport that could become a lifelong hobby, the website states. The AGFC also sponsors statewide tournaments for students who are interested in competing in archery, it states.
The middle school’s archery unit will be all about technique and exploration of the sport, according to Smith.
“We are working on the fundamentals of archery, the aspects of muscle development, core concepts of how to shoot an arrow, and of course they will shoot an arrow, but it’s not a hunting unit, it’s a recreational sport,” he said.
If students are interested in the