H
ave you ever felt like the “odd man out” when it comes
to playing a sport? For some it is because they lack
confidence in their skills. Others have that memory
of being picked last in gym class. For some it is due to
a disability that prevents the body from working the same as
others.
At Woodland Hills Intermediate, Activity Day is held where
students can experience a wide range of activities. In the Golf
Club, there is a young man who requires the assistance of a
walker to move around, stand, and balance. Talk about a chal-
lenge! Golf is a sport that requires two hands to swing a club
successfully, and this student was trying
to do it with one!
Two fifth grade students saw this and
decided to come up with a way to help
a fellow classmate not feel like the “odd
man out.” Ken’darah Rawls and Halaya
Holmes spent their fifth grade year in-
corporating STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) into the
study of the Human Body, Motion, and
Design.
“When we were studying the Skeletal
System, Mr. Hauenstein had us tape
craft sticks to the back of our hands to
stop us from bending the joints in our fingers. He made us tie
our shoes and write our names. It was so hard I couldn’t even
pick up the pencil!” according to Ken’darah.
Halaya added, “Yeah, you don’t realize how hard life would
be if you had a disability. Mr. H. had us research the different
types of door handles and how they allow people to open,
even if they didn’t have a working hand. When we saw a
student that couldn’t play golf like everyone else we wanted
to help.”
The students put their plan into action by first having the
student take some swings with a regular golf club. They took
notes on how comfortable he felt holding it, measurements
on the club where he liked to grip it, and the angle of the club
face while standing in his walker. Then,
they brainstormed an idea of attaching a
round sleeve at the end of the club grip
allowing the golfer to hold and swing
the club with one arm. After making a
sketch, the pair searched the WHI’s Maker
Space for the perfect sleeve, and a way to
attach it to the club.
“This was a challenge. We knew we
had to have something the right size to slide your arm through.
At first we tried to use a small roll of duct tape. It was the perfect
size, but it was weak,” explained Halaya.
“Then we found a white plastic pipe, the kind in your base-
ment. The hole was bigger than we needed, plus the plastic didn’t
feel good on your arm. Finally, we had the idea to add some foam
padding. It filled in the space around the arm and felt so much
better,” shared Ken’darah.
The pair began assembling the golf club by drilling four holes
in the PVC sleeve, attaching it to the club with pipe brackets, and
lining the inside of the sleeve with foam padding. After a day of
testing it and making some minor adjustments, it was ready for
use.
When the girls presented the club to the young man, he
smiled from ear to ear. They explained the design and how they
constructed the personalized club for him. He began to take some
swings and after a minor adjustment he was sinking putts from
across the room.
“I loved to see how happy and psyched he was when he used
it! He was so excited, he was yelling out to the class to watch him
hit the golf ball. It felt good,” said Halaya.
“Seeing his reaction, it made me want to do more to help oth-
ers, with and without disabilities,” stated Ken’darah.
Educators teach concepts in the classroom and try hard to
make connections to the real world with videos, the internet,
and projects. Often times, authentic learning experiences like
this don’t get to take place, due to time, or not being part of the
standards, however we need to find the time. So much more than
math and science took place here.
WILKINS PRIMARY RUNNERS OF STEEL
TAKE ON KIDS MARATHON
n Saturday, May 4th, students from Wilkins
Primary traveled downtown to take on
the Pittsburgh Marathon’s Chick Fil-A Kids
Marathon. As a Kids of Steel Site, participants
from Wilkins had the option to complete a training
log—equating 15 minutes of daily physical activity
to one mile—in the months leading up to race day.
A full adult marathon logs in at 26.2 miles. The idea
behind the Kids of Steel training program is to have
participants complete “25 miles” then complete their
“26th mile” at the Kids Marathon. Accompanied by
Kids of Steel site coordinator, Mrs. Pizzica (Wilkins
PreK Teacher) and parents/guardians, students met
on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, where they started
their one mile race across the Clemente Bridge and
ended downtown at Point State Park. Along with
countless other schools across the county and beyond,
the students were able to experience the thrill of the
Pittsburgh Marathon—
running along the same
spectator-lined streets
their adult counterparts
would be running the
following morning.
Smiling, these students
ages 4 to 9, crossed the finish line knowing their
months of hard work had finally paid off. Their pride
in setting and achieving a goal was palpable as they
laughed alongside each other and looked up at the
finish line that represents so much of what they have
to look forward to in life: Overcoming obstacles with
determination and grit, experiencing camaraderie
in the face of adversity, and the self-assurance that
organically grows when goals are exceeded.
WOODLAND HILLS
❘
SUMMER 2019
27
ON
O
BY HANNAH PIZZICA
Wilkins Primary was
awarded a transportation
grant that allowed
students to ride a bus to
and from the North Shore
on race day.
Pictured from left to
right (top): Dr. Jean
Livingston (Principal),
Mrs. Hannah Pizzica
(Wilkins Site Coordinator
and Grant Recipient) and
race participants Paul
Everson, Juliana Morrison,
Carleetah Thomas, Derrick
Shoffner (Kids of Steel
Youth Program Associate)
(Bottom )Race
participants Grayson
Winslow, Mckenzie
Coleman, Decklan
Onderick, and Archie
Donald.