Pop Quiz: What happens in a Middle School P.E. class?
 

Answer: Just about anything you can imagine!

Today down at SPARC, our sixth and seventh graders hustled out of the locker room to get their warmups (two laps and 30 situps) done before launching into the day's lessons. "The kids look at the board to see what their warmup is for the day, and then really get out there to do it on their own," explained Lauran Pratt, P.E. teacher and Varsity Boys' basketball coach. "We don't have to tell them."

Following warmups, the seventh graders transitioned into playing a game called Speedminton--very similar to badminton, but without nets and a smaller shuttlecock. "They actually call them speeders, not birdies," shared Eric Dams, another OES P.E. teacher. The game is relatively new, having been created in Germany only about 10 years ago. Players (like Yusef S. '22, pictured above, who is a squash player in his spare time) work to be the first to score 15 points for a win. 
 

On the basketball court, members of the Class of 2023 took turns shooting baskets in four lines. Coach Pratt addressed each student individually as they took their shots: suggesting adjustments, praising successful attempts, and encouraging them to keep trying after near-misses.