BRE students were ninja warriors for a day
Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) fourth grade students Jackson B., Wyatt F. and Mason M. took on the warped wall during an at-school field trip recently. The Ninja Nation mobile course was customized for BRE and more than 400 students were able to give it a try.
Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) students pushed their physical limits when PE teacher Kelli Weinrich, better known as “Coach W.,” brought Ninja Nation to the school. She saw the enthusiasm students showed when she set up a smaller version in the gym last year and knew they would love something larger. Ninja Nation Centennial rents a mobile, ninja warrior-style course, complete with a warped wall.
Designated as an at-school field trip, all of the students were able to participate. Each grade level had almost an hour on the course. Students were able to run the challenges several times before they headed back inside. “All 430-ish kids that we have [at BRE] did the course,” said Weinrich. “I even had most of our students from SSN [severe special needs] out there on parts of it!”
Second grader Aiden B. concentrates on the swinging bars during his turn on the Ninja Nation mobile course for the at-school field trip organized by Buffalo Ridge Elementary PE teacher Kelli Weinrich. Weinrich hopes to make this a spring tradition at the school.
Ninja Nation took care of all set up and take down and had friendly and professional staff assisting and encouraging the students to keep trying and to have fun. BRE’s art and music teachers joined Weinrich assisting students as needed. The mobile course consisted of two lanes, so students could race each other, or try the different challenges in each lane.
Many students took on the warped wall with zeal. With two inverted-wall heights, a smaller one for smaller participants and the larger wall for older kids and adults, there was a exciting option for everyone. Both walls were a challenge for many, but the students cheered and encouraged one another. Weinrich liked the wall, too.
“Seeing students get up the warped wall was incredible,” she added. “They just lit up with excitement to see how high they had made it.” Weinrich said that even a few of the upper class boys that conquered the wall made sure the teachers saw their accomplishments. Weinrich scaled the large wall at the end of the day, and she, too, was happy to have proof of her gravity-defying feat.
“Honestly, the day was so much fun,” concluded Weinrich. “It was really amazing to see the students challenge themselves by deciding what lane they wanted to do or how much help they wanted.” She hopes to make this an annual spring tradition at BRE.
By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Kelli Weinrich
