Around the World with the Woltjers

This semester I have been helping with two electives. First, I have been leading a bridge-building art elective. In this elective, my goal has been to briefly introduce the students to concepts of design and structures, as well as give them a medium with which to be creative.

After our introductory class, I provided each of the students with their own bridge kit. The challenge was to design and build their own bridge that would support a load of 5kg across a span of 50cm. They had strips of thin plywood, glue, nails, and a length of wire with which to build their bridges.

So far, each student has come up with a creative and unique design by which they hope to meet the challenge. We have an arch bridge, different kinds of truss bridges, and a combination cable-stayed/truss bridge.

After they finish the construction of their bridges, they will have a couple class periods to decorate their bridges. Being an art class, the bridges are supposed to be appealing as well as functional.

Some of the students are interested in testing their bridges to failure in a competition. The station’s Harvest Festival is coming up on November 4, and we’re hoping to showcase the bridges as well as destroy some (for those who are interested). Stay tuned for how the bridges turn out!

The other elective I’ve been helping with is Strength and Conditioning. For many of the students, this is the first opportunity they have had to learn how to work out, what to do to prevent injury, and how to balance the body by performing various exercises. Daniella came up with the idea for this elective during the summer, and while we were anxious about the response, all of the students have really enjoyed the class.

In preparation for this class, Daniella put together a binder full of different exercises for the body’s different muscle groups. She also printed sheets for the students to use in selecting a few exercises for each muscle group, and keeping track of how they do on those exercises.

We’ve been blessed to have Rev. Jeff Myers step in as the official coach and give his experienced advice and guidance. He’s also a whole lot of fun to work out with!

The students’ abilities are varied (grades 7-12), but we’ve seen everyone improve, which has been encouraging. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to help the students learn about how exercise can be fun, rewarding, and how it can help you be strong, healthy, and active throughout your life.