Recess added to New Ken-Arnold’s Hunt Elementary schedule

Roy A. Hunt School Principal Jeff Thimons wants kids to be kids.

That’s why he rearranged his school’s schedule to include 22 minutes of recess daily, something new this school year.

“We want kids to figure out how to play on their own,” Thimons said. “It’s skills they’ve lacked over the years.

“I want the kids to learn how to get along with each other without adults standing over them and telling them exactly what to do. I think that’s a skill that’s been lost over time.”

Roy A. Hunt Elementary serves students in third through sixth grades in the New Kensington-Arnold School District.

School counselor Stephanie Gardlock said recess wasn’t built into students’ schedules previously. Teachers would have to make time for recess on their own.

“When Mr. Thimons came last year, he said, ‘This shouldn’t be happening,’” Gardlock said. “We should have recess. It’s an elementary school.”

Thimons described the recess as “supervised unstructured time.”

“It helps the kids build their ‘soft skills,’ ” Gardlock said. “It gives the kids time to problem solve and resolve conflict. That’s important to help them grow socially and emotionally.”

Thimons has found that the time for play is benefiting students’ behavior.

“(Teachers) seem to think it’s really helping,” he said.

Thimons isn’t alone in his praise for recess. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a fact sheet on recess, concluding it not only helps with students’ physical fitness, it also improves classroom performance, memory retention, overall behavior and appropriate social interaction among students.

Only eight states require a recess period for elementary students, according to the CDC. Pennsylvania is not among them.

The recess time is also putting students’ imaginations and creativity to the test. The Hunt building has previously served as secondary schools, and there’s no playground or other children’s equipment there.

The school uses space outside the front of the building for recess. Gardlock said they could use the football field but noted having the students go down there is time-consuming and would cut into their play time.

“There’s no kind of equipment at all. There’s no real space,” Thimons said. “We’re on a city street.”

The school painted a four-square court and will install a basketball hoop, Gardlock said.

The school and PTA are seeking funding for a playground, fencing and other equipment, she said.

Gardlock said recess has helped students build relationships with their peers and school staff. Thimons said he’s joined activities like jump rope and hula hoop competitions.

“Even I’m learning how to play different things,” Thimons said.