Neag School volunteers renovate Hartford’s Batchelder School playground and raise funds to buy new recess equipment

June 4, 2007

STORRS, Conn. –  Recess -- which research says improves student attentiveness, health and social skills -- just got a whole lot better at Batchelder Elementary School because of the efforts of four Neag School of Education students. At a ceremony held at the Hartford elementary school today, the UConn teacher education students presented the principal and his school with new recess equipment, a renovated playground and a recess guidebook.   

“As the play areas were being painted during the past week, our students became more and more excited. We are so appreciative of what these Neag School students have been able to accomplish on our behalf. Our kids now have more than a couple of rubber balls for recess and a much better place to channel their energy appropriately,” says John Laverty, principal. Just as important, he points out, is the guidebook created by the Neag juniors, which he plans to copy and supply to each of his staff members.

During the past academic year, the juniors were assigned to Batchelder – one of the Neag School’s Professional Development Centers for training future educators.  As part of their clinical experience, the Neag juniors were required to identify an issue and help the school address it by developing an action plan. They entitled their initiative, Recess Renovation: Teaching Students to Play.  

“We observed that recess had become a problem for students and for teachers. There was hardly any equipment and a need to help students learn new games,” explains Brian McDermott, a junior from Middlebury.

So McDermott and his Neag School classmates: Annie Haylon of West Hartford, Thomas Mariani of Somers, and Ryan Quinn of Stonington set out to change that. In constructing their plan, the juniors sought the expertise of Neag School associate professor Jaci VanHeest, an exercise scientist, whose research focuses on childhood obesity and exercise.

“Recess is a vital part of the school day and contributes to a child’s well being,” says VanHeest. She is concerned by the report from the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Education Statistics which shows 14 to 18 percent of U.S. children in grades 1 through 6 get 15 minutes or less of recess a day.

“Children need physical activity to run off bottled up energy so they return to their classrooms refreshed and more attentive,” she states. In addition to the health and fitness benefits, VanHeest says that during recess, children develop physical skills, social relationships and the ability to negotiate and work as a team.

A number of studies suggest that U.S. schools, under pressure to improve student achievement scores, are reducing or eliminating recess to increase time spent on academics, but VanHeest is encouraged by what is going on at Batchelder. “I’m appreciative of Principal Laverty’s commitment to improve recess for his students and his support of our students,” she says, so she volunteered to design the new play area.

VanHeest identified appropriate activities for elementary school-aged children and then drew specifications for four distinct play areas to help organize recess into safe areas for quiet games and zones for active play and group activities. After surveying teachers, the Neag students created an equipment wish list -- a wish list because the school had no available funds to cover the Recess Renovation costs. The juniors, determined to turn their plan into reality, sought $5000 in donations from several groups, including the UConn Chapter of the Connecticut Education Association and the Neag School Dean’s Fund.

Dean Richard Schwab decided to invest privately raised funds in the project, he says, because of the Neag School’s long and productive partnership with Batchelder as a Professional Development Center.

“Principal Laverty and his teachers have been incredibly supportive in training our students and collaborating with our faculty on research,” he says. “Just look at these four juniors. They demonstrate the initiative and dedication we hope all of our graduates bring into Connecticut’s classrooms. Preparing high quality teachers is a collaborative effort, and John Laverty and his team at Hartford’s Batchelder Elementary School are extraordinary partners and mentors.”