Playground becomes learning environment for students at St. John the Baptist Elementary School

IC photo/Linda Petersen

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DRAPER — A recess management program implemented at St. John the Baptist Elementary four years ago has been a rousing success, particularly this year as the school deals with pandemic restrictions, Principal Nikki Ward said. Playworks helps students make the most of recess by providing structured play opportunities that promote inclusivity, teamwork, problem solving and physical exercise.

“We really wanted to do a more inclusive playground, not having anybody left out, and also we wanted to have a more organized recess for our students,” Ward said. “Instead of four football games going on in the field, for example, we want to give students more proactive play. A big part of the program is teaching conflict resolution on the playground … resolving [conflicts there] instead of bringing them back into the classroom.”

In Playworks, students are tutored in the basics of various games, in appropriate behavior and in building community. They may participate in organized games such as soccer, football or four square or choose to enjoy playground equipment such as hula hoops and jump ropes, or partake in unstructured games such as tag. The program is administered by Shawn Jimerson, the school’s recess and event coordinator who calls himself an “implementer of fun.”

“It’s something we want to use as a tool to expand the social and emotional health of our kids,” Jimerson said. “It’s really important to continue it now [during the pandemic] in any way possible.”

The school implemented the program four years ago when “we were seeing a lot of unhealthy competition on the playground and were trying to figure out different ways to address it,” Ward said. “We had such awesome results from Playworks we realized how well it had worked.”

Although the school initiated Playworks to address that specific situation, the program has paid off over the four years, Ward said. The program uses junior coaches drawn from the fourth and fifth grade, whom Jimerson meets with monthly to provide instruction. It also provides leadership opportunities for those students.

“The credit for our recess these days really goes to these junior coaches and the job they do with our kids; they are a blessing; we can’t say enough about the work they do and the help they provide in being a positive example,” Jimerson said.

Fourth grader Liliana Necco loves being a junior coach. “ I really like to help kids out because it just makes my day to see how happy they are,” she said.

To comply with state social distancing guidelines during the pandemic, the school’s outside play areas are divided into three zones: playground, large field and small field. Each cohort ( generally one class) plays in just one zone each recess; they rotate zones throughout the week. This keeps students’ contact within their own cohort. In between recesses, the junior coaches wipe down the equipment that has been used.  

Both Ward and Jimerson acknowledge that the unusually temperate winter this year has been a blessing in enabling the students to go outside every day during recess. When that changes due to bad weather or red air days they are prepared with Playworks activities for indoor recess.