The Sports Association of Oakland Does It Again!
Donates over $1,000 in sports equipment for Oakland’s School Children to Use During Recess!
Oakland’s elementary students will be very busy playing with new balls, hula hoops, jump ropes, frisbee games, blongo balls and more!
Coordinating the needs of Oakland’s children with Superitendent Dr. Coffaro, Pincipals Ciambra, Clark and Silverstien, and PE teacher’s Crum, LaCugna, VanBrookhoven and Glaser, the SAO scored a goal with a generous donation of playground equipment.
SAO Vice Chair Caron McCormick, Dr. Gina Coffaro and SAO Chair Jim Folkerts
“I could not think of another way of this many people to be positively impacted by our group. To be able to enhance the recess and exercise of nearly 1,000 children meets our mission exactly. We hope the children will enjoy this brand new equipment for years to come” said SAO Chairman Jim Folkerts.
Manito Elementary School children, with Principal Adam Silverstein and Phys. Ed. teacher Jayson Crum the day equipment was delivered.
Recess might look like fun and games – and it should – but under the surface study after study shows that recess is integral to academic success.
As schools struggle to prepare students for standardized testing, and recess takes a back seat to academic rigors, a national discussion on the merits and value of recess has surfaced
The American Academy of Pediatrics has entered into the debate with a policy statement describing how the value of recess play extends far beyond the playground fields.
“Recess represents an essential, planned respite from rigorous cognitive tasks. It affords a time to rest, play, imagine, think, move, and socialize. After recess……students are more attentive and better able to perform cognitively. In addition, recess helps young children to develop social skills that are otherwise not acquired in the more structured classroom environment…The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.”
To read the entire policy statement, The Crucial Role of Recess in School, click on this link: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183.full
The new equipment will not only give the Oakland children an outlet for their youthful exuberance, but will be a vehicle for them to learn about sharing, fair play, sportsmanship —– and even do better in the classroom!
The Sports Association of Oakland is a local 501c3 not-for-profit organization that assists the Oakland Recreation Commission and supports children’s programs throughout Oakland.