Great Bay Charter School and Exeter Area YMCA Partner in Program

EXETER__The Exeter Area YMCA and Great Bay Charter School have partnered this spring to provide a physical education program to the school’s middle school students.

The 45-minute group sessions are held three times a week and offer students a chance to choose from several different types of exercise, including sports such as basketball or soccer, spin bikes or using the indoor track.

“We are so happy to be able to have this arrangement with the YMCA and to be able make this incredible community resource available to our students,” said Peter Stackhouse, the Executive Director of GBCS. “While many of them also participate in YMCA after-school programming, having access to the broad range of fitness resources during the day has really supplemented what our own resources can provide.”

The new PE program is a natural extension of existing youth programs at the YMCA, said Tanisha Johnson, Exeter Area YMCA Associate Branch Director.

“We see every interaction with young people as an opportunity for learning and development,” Johnson said. “This program fits in perfectly with the Y's core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. By helping kids improve their health and well-being, we build a stronger community.”

Math teacher Lisa Hammond serves as the school’s representative to the program. She’s thrilled to watch students who weren’t physically active prior to the program begin to engage.

“We do have a gymnasium, but this allows us to do a lot more than we can offer there,” Hammond said. The message to students was to find an exercise they enjoy. They are learning about fitness and health, and that everybody feels better when they move.”

YMCA staff member Carl Hampe leads the students in sports, while Hammond, who has experience as a group fitness instructor, teaches the students how to use the spin bikes. Other students have found they like listening to music while walking on the track.

The program has also served as an introduction to the Y for students not familiar with the facility.

“We’re really connecting the kids to a community resource,” Hammond said. “Some of the kids didn’t know that they could use the Y other than this time, and as a result of this program, they have been able to use the facility after school or on weekends, which has been great.”

Hammond has incorporated some projects about fitness into her advisory class at the school, with student’s learning about heart rates during exercise and nutrition. “I love the fact that I’m seeing them want to learn about fitness,” she said.

Great Bay Charter School is a project-based school in Exeter that serves students in grades 6-12. As a public charter school, GBCS is a tuition-free alternative to larger, traditional public schools, and is open to students from throughout New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.gbecs.org