Ninth Graders Rock Climb on Fun Field Trip

On April 11, all of the ninth grade students who had good physical fitness testing scores were able to go on a field trip. They were treated to a rock climbing activity at the Quarry in Provo, lunch from Brick Oven, and games in the Indoor Practice Facility at BYU. The games that they played at the BYU facility were soccer, ultimate frisbee, and football. 

According to Coach Parker and Mrs. Anderson, SJHS PE teachers, BYU donated money and volunteered to send BYU students to the Quarry with SJHS to help out with rock climbing.  “BYU told us that only ninth-grade students were able to go. I guess the BYU students figured ninth graders are more mature and fit - to be able to handle a full-day of activity,” said Coach Parker. Dr. Todd Pennington, a professor in the  Physical Education Teacher Education, had some of his BYU students help out with the activity. Dr. Pennington said, “I am researching whether the methods I am using to train future teachers allows them to develop more rapidly as a teacher, compared to what are considered more traditional methods used in teacher education courses.” 

Sam Hall, a ninth grader at SJHS, said, “Even though my hands got really raw from allthat rock climbing, it was fun to play soccer afterwards with people that I don’t usually play with.” There were about 50 kids on the field trip, and they divided themselves into groups to play the different games.  Andy Pendleton,  ninth-grade students at SJHS, thought that the field trip was a ton of fun and that the challenge of rock climbing made it seem more exciting. “The BYU students were always there to catch the climber if they fell, but you still needed to trust them to catch you.The bouldering room was really fun and scary at the same time,” said Anna Gurney, a ninth grader at SJHS.

Dr. Pennington said, “It has been a great learning experience and motivates me to continue researching and finding more effective ways to train future teachers. It is also fun to create fun and meaningful opportunities for children and youth to participate in fun physical activities. I LOVE what I do and enjoy helping others have a positive experience as well!”