Elementary school sports around School District 47 have included cross-country, mountain biking and volleyball that ends with a tournament on November 28 at Westview Elementary School.
Hundreds of students are involved in the events, according to Kelly Creek Community School principal Scott Fisher.
“We had 150 runners throughout the district at our little cross-country meet out here,” said Fisher. “Even though they might not all be track stars down the road, they're out there participating.”
A child’s experiences in their middle years, from six to 12 years old, is the critical time when the stage is set for adolescence, according to the Middle Years Development Instrument designed by University of BC and used by school districts throughout BC. The instrument measures students' health and well-being during middle childhood.
Among many factors, the report shows that participation in sports is significant in early childhood and pre-teen development.
When it comes to sports, grades five to seven students like to try them all.
“We want to to turn as many kids onto sports as possible,” said Fisher. “We try to introduce them to the different sports and hopefully some of them see that they have a knack or a passion for something and they'll continue on.”
Fisher said basketball, which begins in the new year, has always been popular, along with volleyball.
It is not always the big schools, such as Westview Elementary School, that are the powerhouses. Fisher said Henderson Elementary School has won the district basketball title the last few years because the kids are really fired up about the sport.
“It's good to see that even the little schools are able to excel in some of those team sports,” he said.
Interschool competition in volleyball and basketball has been brought back. It has raised school spirit and individual confidence, according to Fisher.
“Some of the kids are saying, ‘I like playing in front of the whole school and show kids what I can do.’”
Once the indoor sports are completed with the wrap-up basketball tournament in February 2018, the elementary sports season moves back outside with more cross-country races, the spring mountain bike series and the district track and field meet in June.
