You might want to duck when entering an elementary school gym during the next school year.
Golf balls — or, in this case, bigger, fuzzy balls — might be flying through the air or rolling underfoot.
Hundreds of students at 25 elementary schools across Newport News and Hampton will implement The First Tee’s school program, designed to teach both golf and citizenship skills.
Virginia Natural Gas worked with The First Tee of the Virginia Peninsula, the local branch of the international program, to provide funding so that the equipment, training and curriculum could be given to the physical education teachers at each school. Virginia Natural Gas’ donation comes in at about $3,400 per each school, including 25 more on the Southside.
“Virginia Natural Gas is very committed to serving its customers in support of the communities in which we live and serve, just as you all are committed to the success of students,” Rus Hayslett, director of regional operations for Virginia Natural Gas, said during training Monday morning for teachers. “Golf as you will come to learn from this program is something we’re very excited to get behind. The sport not only teaches the sport of golf itself but life lessons and core values such as honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, some of those core values you’ll learn in the program, so we’re really excited for that.”
Hampton’s cohort of teachers from 11 Title I elementary schools, as well as several from Williamsburg-James City County Schools, trained on the program at Hampton High School’s gym. Newport News’ participating schools trained last week.
Teachers practiced rolling, tossing, putting and chipping balls at various sticky targets, working in pairs with one acting as a “caddie” to provide positive responses.
“How many of you are showing respect by listening and following directions?” asked Diane Lamb, a recently retired elementary school teacher from Lincoln, Neb., who facilitated the training. She held up a card that said “respect” and other words, lessons that instill the fundamentals of the curriculum.
Adding programs like The First Tee helps bolster the physical education and health curriculum, said Pat Robertson, curriculum leader for Hampton City Schools. Gone are the days where the most athletic kids shine in football and basketball; now there’s a focus on health as well as teaching skills that could played for a lifetime, like golf.
The First Tee aims to do that, providing training and coaching for young golfers across the country and in some international locations. It can teach honesty — through keeping your own score — and leadership skills, said Mark Ewell, a teacher at Langley Elementary School who already has integrated the program into his school.
“The lessons are designed with one of the core values in mind,” Ewell said while his colleagues launched balls at targets behind him. “So if the lesson is on honesty, doing the activities that you’re doing, you can say ‘How’s honesty relate to this activity?’ and then as we’re explaining honesty in golf we also say, ‘Where else would you show honesty, how would you use this in school?’ With integrity, how does that work in the classroom and at home? With responsibility, how can you do chores, how can you be better at using these values in everyday life, not just on the golf course?
“Anytime you’re dealing with kids you want to do those things. This is just giving an activity that also accentuates those values.”
Hammond can be reached by phone at 757-247-4951 or on Twitter @byjanehammond.
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