Wednesday Walking

How a club is encouraging students to be more active.

Brookelyn Jadwin|December 20, 2022

Watching the clock tick by, anxiously, finally, the bell rings. Hurrying through the halls to get outside, a cool breeze blows past. It’s not a normal Wednesday, the final 30 minutes of the school day are spent with clubs. Every Wednesday, special needs teacher Crystal Byrd, hosts a club called Walk and Roll. Which meets every Wednesday during Connect 30 on the track by the football field.

“I think it’s important to be active and get your exercise because you usually can’t throughout the day. It’s also nice to be able to socialize and talk to friends,” sophomore Jadyn Mitchell said.

Byrd hosts the club as an opportunity for kids to get much needed exercise, which is also a great way for kids with disabilities to get out too. Many students lack activity and social time throughout the day, this club gives them that opportunity.

“The Walk and Roll club is an opportunity during Connect 30 for kids to get outside, get some steps in, and just get moving,” Byrd said.

According to the Encyclopedia of Science and Learning, “Social interaction plays an important role in learning. Interacting with other people has proven to be quite effective in assisting the learner to organize their thoughts, reflect on their understanding, and find gaps in their reasoning.”

“It was the most appealing out of the clubs,” sophomore Jadyn Mitchell said.

Socialization and exercise has a big effect of mental health as well as your performance in school, so giving it a try can benefit students in the future.

According to The Journal of Psychiatry exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem as well as releasing serotonin. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

“The walk and roll club is great because I get to do something I enjoy with my friends, and I can have conversations with them. I also get to talk to friends I normally don’t have time to talk to,” freshman Adilyn Conrick said.

Being cooped up in a classroom can have a major effect on people’s lives. That’s what makes the Walk and Roll club a good experience. Especially students with disabilities, they don’t get the same experience as everyday students. So, the Walk and Roll club is a great way for them to include them in something that involves everyday people.

The members of the Walk and Roll club are no strangers to the track, as the members spend their Connect 30’s outside, staying active and getting vitamin D. The Walk and Roll club is one of the many available at LHS since the implementation of Connect 30, and has proved to be an ample opportunity for students to get fresh air during school hours.

“I think in the school day, you’ll be stuck in a classroom with no windows and not knowing what the weather is like, and I like to get outside and get some sunlight and be active,” Byrd said.

The club originated as a small group of about 10 people, which included teachers and students who all enjoyed the same activity, eventually expanding into what it is now. They felt being cooped up all day without outside time was limiting their work efficiency, keeping that in mind they made the Walk and Roll club, a solution to their common problem.

“We’ve had about 75 kids consecutively sign up which is really cool” Byrd said.

Socialization and exercise has a big effect of mental health as well as your performance in school, so giving it a try can benefit students in the future

There are many different benefits to the Walk and Roll club, it’s something that can release stress as well as allowing time to catch up with peers. Students don’t always have time to socialize or talk, this club gives them the opportunity to do so.

Byrd’s goal is to get as many students signed up as possible. Anyone and everyone is welcome, don’t be afraid to give the Walk and Roll club a chance, it offers many benefits.