Physical activity groups that meet in the mornings and during seminar give students the opportunity to clear their minds before classes start or in the middle of the day.

Every day, before school, the physical activity group is in the North Gym at 7-7:45 a.m. Thursday mornings, the group will start 15 minutes later than usual. The a.m. physical activity group is an open gym in the mornings for students to play different games of their choice. It is supervised by Stefan Matthews, para-professional.

Candy Birch, assistant principal, said, “We are continuing to work on ways for students to have more time to exercise which is beneficial to them when they study and for learning while they are in classes.”

Studies have shown that exercising reduces stress and anxiety and helps students stay on task, focus and even improve grades.

Birch said, “Students expressed their frustration that they couldn’t find a place to excercise and socialize before school or during seminar.”

They later recieved a grant from the Olathe Schools Foundation.

During seminar, the group meets during both the first and second halves of seminar. This activity opportunity is different than the morning physical activity group. The seminar activity group has been going on longer, and the school has a community partner, Church of the Harvest, that has volunteers come to help set up activities.

The first half of seminar, Kaleb Stoppel, math teacher, supervises and assists the Church of the Harvest volunteers to set up games for students to play throughout seminar. The second half of seminar is an open gym, supervised by Jenny Johannsen, school psychologist, and Megan Alspaugh, social worker. They also have different scheduled activities each week like dodgeball, basketball, soccer and a variety of other games for students. Students seem to enjoy the activity; the Jan. 12 seminar session was full.

Birch said, “I hope more students take advantage of this opportunity, whether it’s five days a week or one seminar; it will be more beneficial to their learning.”