Quantum Academy's Move It, Move It Stations grant set out to give students more to do at recess: carts of games they can wheel out, pickleball, soccer, and a Gaga Ball pit. Getting there took longer than planned, and the school's report is candid about why. Here is what happened.
A slow start
The first hurdle was storage. As the school got ready to buy the equipment, staff asked a fair question: where would it all live, so it was not lost or stolen? The campus had no storage space left.
At the same time, the District was weighing a change to Quantum's grade configuration, moving 4th graders out and adding more middle school students. That would have changed what the grant ought to buy, so the school held off. It asked for a shed to house the equipment, a request that had to pass through the district office, maintenance, and a state school modification form. The school's first report, sent in June, described the grant as on hold and offered to return the funds if the foundation preferred.
How it came together
By the fall, each of those questions had an answer.
- The district office had decided to leave Quantum's configuration as it was, and told the school in May.
- A shed was not possible after all. It would have needed several approvals and had to be fixed to the ground rather than a plastic unit.
- PE educator Ms. Moretti cleared out space to store some of the equipment.
- Two students built a Gaga Ball pit for their Girl Scouts Silver Award, and it was added to the playground. Gaga needs mats underneath so students do not scrape knuckles and knees, so mats went on the list.
- Students were introduced to pickleball in PE and enjoyed it so much that pickleball nets were added too.
The school is now test running a way to hand out the carts and equipment at recess, and adjusting as it sees how students respond.
What the grant bought
- 4 extra long collapsible wagon carts
- A 5 pack of Kan Jam disc toss and a 5 pack of Wham-O Frisbees
- 4 ring toss games, 40 agility rings, and a 24 piece paddle ball set
- 2 packs of Champion Sports Rhino Balls and 2 packs of Gator Skin foam dodgeballs
- 4 Champion Sports 10 inch playground balls for Gaga Ball
- 2 packs of 18 plastic baseballs
- Falling sticks for relay races
- A four square pickleball net set, a regulation pickleball net on wheels, and a replacement net
- 4 soccer goals, 6 by 4, for 4th and 5th graders
- 48 team pinnies
- 4 thick rubber mats for under the Gaga Ball pit
The numbers
The grant was for $2,219.11. The school reports spending $2,282.95 on equipment, slightly more than the award, with the receipt for the Gaga Ball mats ($325.47 from Home Depot) still to come. The full evaluation below includes the purchase receipts, with personal details removed.
What is next
Quantum Academy hopes to have the foundation out early in the school year to see the new recess equipment in use. We are looking forward to it.