Denise Wettstein (Principal)
Willow Dale Elementary
Warminster, Pennsylvania

"As the elementary school principal, I'm always searching for ways to improve school pride and spirit. As each school year begins,the entire staff brainstorms new ideas to get kids involved in club activities, school projects, and after school academic challenges. There's always that group of kids who would come to school 365 days a year if you let them and those who are sports-minded and can't get enough of organized athletic activities. But I haven't come across a school program that can reach the entire school population and attract the kids who like team and individual competition--that was until I came across sport stacking.

After seeing it on TV and having our students receive a little demonstration in connection with another program, I spoke with the gym teachers. We already had a sport pack in use in the gym classes. Teachers had exposed the kids to stacking but hadn't really given thought to taking the next step. Just out of curiosity I decided to try it as a recess activity with two grades. I was overwhelmed by the response. Kids couldn't get enough of it. They wanted to stack through the recess and lunch period; they wanted their own sets of cups and timers. And, they wanted to beat their principal's time. I'm no Emily Fox but I can handle a cycle stack.

Recess will never be the same for these kids and for me. The students involved are thoroughly engaged for the entire period and of course that's great for the principal since the involvement has really cut down on behavior problems at recess. Even nicer is the ability for the principal to interact with kids in an atmosphere of fun while they're learning something.

We're now at the point where the kids want to form teams and I need to enlist the help of other staff members and parents to assist with our sessions due to the number of students who want to participate. There's an excitement at our school that I just have never seen and it's still growing. And, we're hoping to be the pioneers to bring the competition to other elementary schools in our district.

There's a sense of pride and a new spirit growing at Willow Dale Elementary as the students become more proficient at the sport. It's catching, it's fun, and it's made a positive difference at our school."

www.speedstacks.com

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