From dance fever to avalanche awareness

How many times has a middle-school student heard from their parents, "Why don't you go out and do something?" Probably more times than they can count. And now they are getting it at school.

At Wasilla Middle School, the physical education department is encouraging students to get out and do something -- and showing them that it can be fun in the process.

Between Christmas break and the end of the grading period -- two weeks -- the department has brought in guest speakers to talk about winter recreation such as snowmachining and mountaineering, as well as dancers from Burchell High School, for a little Latin dance.

"The whole focus of the unit is for families to get out and do something, and enjoy themselves," said Ann Marie Svedin, a physical education teacher at WMS. "We're trying to promote healthy lifestyles for the whole family."

Guest speakers covered a wide range of topics during the first week of the unit. One of the guest speakers, WMS principal Bob Thompson, has climbed Mount McKinley twice. He talked about winter survival skills, which the students found interesting.

"I learned that when you see your friends start to shiver uncontrollably, you need to get them into a warm environment, like a car or house," wrote Dani Haley, a student at WMS. "The speakers that came to talk to us about things like frostbite and hypothermia were very helpful."

Other speakers talked about snowmachine safety, such as the importance of wearing helmets, and avalanche awareness.

Students were encouraged to go out with their families, and to take pictures of them having fun. Many students then made posters with pictures of them and their families ice fishing or snowmachining. Others wrote about what they learned in the unit.

Last week, the focus shifted to dancing. Dancers from Burchell High School taught the WMS students how to swing dance and how to Latin dance on Monday and Tuesday, and the students continued with the PE instructors through the end of the week.

On Friday night, Wasilla Middle School hosted a family swing dance, where the students could show off their moves in front of their families.

The Wasilla Middle School jazz band provided the music, and the Big Cabbage Jazz Band also played during the dance.

"Teaching dance to students this age is tough, because peer pressure is such a big force," Svedin said. "The fact they are dancing is great. And to have the jazz band playing really brings the students together."