Rogers school adds volleyball courts, fitness area

ROGERS -- The School District and the city teamed up recently to provide students and the rest of the community another place to play volleyball outdoors.

The Cougar Sand Volleyball Park, located on the far west side of Kirksey Middle School's property, includes two courts. Adjacent to the courts is a new fitness area consisting of stations for doing pull-ups, practicing balance and jumping hurdles.

Court rules

Some general rules posted at the Cougar Sand Volleyball Park:

• No climbing on poles.

• Do not pull down or hang on net.

• Please keep sand in the court.

• Children need to be supervised at all times.

• Please do not dig holes in or near the courts.

Source: Staff report

It was all paid for with a $30,000 grant through the state, said Deb Walter, a Kirksey physical education teacher who applied for the grant.

"With the rising obesity rates of kids, and seeing kids spending way too much time behind television screens and video games, my main objective was to create a wonderful outdoor fitness venue to give kids an opportunity to get out and play," Walter said.

The park is named after the school's mascot.

The Arkansas Joint Use Agreement Grant provides schools money for projects that encourage physical activity. Schools applying for the grant collaborate with other organizations on their projects.

The city coordinated the construction of the courts and fitness area and will inspect it occasionally, said Barney Hayes, the city's parks director.

"The courts would be used primarily during the school day during (physical education) classes, and then after hours the general public can use them," Hayes said. "So it's kind of a win-win for everybody."

A bike rack will be installed at the site within the next six weeks, Hayes said. The Razorback Regional Greenway runs past the courts and fitness area.

A large sign next to the park states, "Welcome to Cougar Sand Volleyball Park." It gives a list of rules and regulations for park use.

This is not the first time the district and the city have worked together. The city has provided financial support for playgrounds at various elementary schools, Hayes said.

"Instead of playground equipment, this time it was volleyball," he said. "We all serve the same people, essentially."

The city also just finished installing two sand volleyball courts at the Rogers Aquatics Center and at Olive Street Park, Hayes said.

Volleyball is very popular among Kirksey students, Walter said.

"It ranks right up there with soccer. Boys and girls alike, they all love it. They were very excited about (the courts) coming in," she said.

All of the school's grade levels -- sixth through eighth -- will do a unit on volleyball during the school year. Students will use the fitness area as a warm-up zone for volleyball and other activities, Walter said. The school's volleyball team will use it as well.

Kirksey Middle School has applied for another $30,000 grant to add 15 more workout stations to the fitness area. They'll find out about that grant this fall, Walter said.

"We'll cross our fingers on that," she said.

Kirksey Middle became a certified PE 4 Life school in 2007. To become certified, a school must go through an application process and demonstrate it combines today's best practices to inspire and educate all students about the importance of lifetime physical activity and fitness, according to the school's website.

"So this grant kind of ties into that philosophy," Walter said.

The district has had an outstanding physical education staff for years, said Ashley Siwiec, district director of communications.

"It's been a longtime goal that our students develop skills they can use for a lifetime to stay healthy and fit," Siwiec said. "And along the way we try to do as many projects as possible that can help with those goals."

NW News on 07/07/2015

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