By Amore du Toit
Students from all grades at Stettler Elementary School participated in the World Sport Stacking Association’s (WSSA) yearly attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record for “most people sport stacking at multiple locations in one day.”
This activity took place on Thursday, Nov. 18.
Sport stacking has been termed a “track meet for your hands at warp speed.” It is an exciting sport where students up-stack and down-stack 12 specially designed cups called Speed Stacks in predetermined sequences as fast as they can. Stackers race against the clock, compete in relays and often combine sport stacking with fitness challenges as part of physical education classes.
Last year 97 staff and students took part, and we topped that this year with 306 participants! Speed stack cups were set up around the school in the hallways, and students alternately stacked and did fitness activities for the duration of one recess (30 minutes). The activities were organized by students in grade 4 and 5 who belong to the Stettler Elementary School’s Cup Stacking Club, led by Teresa Andersson.
Congratulations to the following classes who had the most participants per class in our cup stacking challenge:
Tied for first was the kindergarten, Pre-K and Annette Hunter’s Grade 2 class, Rob Howell’s Grade 5 class was second, Nancy Nielsen’s Grade 4 class was third, Sonya Geddes’s Grade 2 class was fourth and Donna Boyd-Stadelman‘s Grade 2 class was fifth.
We are so proud of our students’ eagerness to participate and help break the record under the skillful leadership of Mrs. Anderson. Each student from these classes received a 2010 WSSA “I stacked it up!” sticker for participating.
Mavis Smith’s class was part of a Discovery Education polar bear webcast on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The annual polar bear migration has started in Churchill and the class joined three world-renowned scientists during an exclusive webcast from the tundra in Manitoba. The class watched as the polar bears roamed the area while the scientists answered questions about polar bears and how climate change is affecting their way of life.
Amore du Toit’s kindergarten class packed some Operation Christmas Child boxes this past week as part of their social unit focusing on being caring community members. Students enjoyed this activity and it definitely put the class in a festive Christmas spirit.
On a frigid Friday, Nov. 19, Sarah Chapman along with many volunteers organized a fun pajama day for the whole school. Staff and students were asked to dress up in their pajamas and bring their stuffed toys with them for the day. Students loved this activity. Students participated in pajama day activities during the recess periods in the gym. Some activities included a “Teddy relay”. In this activity students had to drag a teddy on the blanket around pylons and back before the next person could go. In the “bed time relay” students had to put on slippers, a robe, grab a stuffy and lie down on a sleeping bag. Once the student was on the sleeping bag, they had to give three good snores before they returned to the start line where the next person got a turn. Despite wearing our PJs to school, students still had a productive day.