Jammin’ in the Gym Gets Washington Students Moving
This year’s Jammin’ in the Gym was a special holiday treat for Washington Primary School students who used the last day before the winter recess to show their best dance moves as third grade teacher Debbie Quiles displayed her DJ skills, spinning discs and spurring on even the most reluctant of participants to let their hair down and have a good time.
Over the course of the day, Washington’s students filed into the gym, two or three classes at a time, for 40-minute sessions of dance music that got the youngsters moving, individually, sometimes with a partner or even as part of a mass group. “It’s always a lot of fun,” Ms. Quiles said.
Just about every student ate up the experience, freely expressing themselves, sometimes struggling to keep up with the music or with a partner and laughing the time away. “One thing is for sure, everyone got a real workout,” physical education teacher Eric Mininni said. “The kids were really sweating up a storm. It was as if they ran five miles.”
Dancing even filled the hallway during the Conga, with the line winding out one door, down the corridor and back in another set of gym doors. Other dances such as the Macarena made the youngsters think carefully as they were moving. “It was a lot of fun for everyone,” Mr. Mininni said. “The kids loved every minute of it.”
Washington Principal Marsha Neville made several appearances in the gym to participate and to encourage the dancers. Ms. Quiles set up DJ equipment on the stage along with several speakers to boom out the music. Several dozen parents and even grandparents showed up, too. Music teacher Susan Hahn led students on the dance floor.
“This is a day when everyone in the school gets moving,” Ms. Quiles said. “It gets everyone moving, often working together and introduces them to different cultures through song and dance. It’s very educational.”
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