Special physical education class gets Wii fit

By John Streit

Correspondent

VIRGINIA BEACH

Bowling, tennis, baseball, boxing, snowboarding and skiing. Few schools can say they offer students all these activities in physical education class.

But a special group of Bayside Middle School students have their pick of the activities without leaving the gymnasium. Michelle Harvey and Kathy Arinello bring those sports to their special needs physical education class through the Nintendo Wii video game system.

For some students, playing the Wii, which relies on a motion-sensitive, hand-held controller, was their first exposure to video gaming due to their inability to operate a traditional controller. For others with less debilitating mental or physical disorders, it's a chance to improve hand-eye coordination.

But for all of Harvey's and Arinello's students, the Wii has become an empowering tool.

"We wanted them to have success with this activity, because some can't hold a volleyball or a real bowling ball, but they can put the remote in their hand and get the same effect," said Harvey, a physical education teacher.

"Socially, it makes it easier for them to encourage one another. They're always giving high-fives and cheering each other on. It's good, because many of them have never been a part of a team."

Before the start of the school year, Harvey and Arinello, Wii enthusiasts in their own free time, discussed introducing the system's "Wii Fit" game to their special needs students.

The system's success with providing light exercise and social stimulation for elderly people is well-documented, prompting the pair to see if the game would translate for their students, many of which have a limited range of motion.

After putting in a request for the purchase of a Wii system, Bayside in November became the city's first and only department to offer the video game as part of its special needs curriculum.

Students get one chance a week to play the system for the entire period with their classmates. On Feb. 16, seventh-grader Zarran Lumpkin and eighth-graders Richard Gregory and Jasmine Riddick took turns at Wii bowling.

The teachers use the gaming time to help the students in other areas besides physical education. After a student knocked over pins after their virtual roll, Arinello or Harvey would ask them to count how many pins had fallen.

Usually, the request took a back seat to the children's cheers of joy and encouragement. After recording a strike or a spare, Zarran raised both arms in the air and smiled.

"I like bowling, it's great," said Zarran, who added his classmates are always anxious for their "Wii day."

According to Arinello, a teaching assistant, the game leaves the students with more than just fun in class.

"One of my girls said that she was so happy to finally know what it's like when kids talk about how fun it is to play a video game," she said. "It made her feel better about herself. They already know they're special and different, but this brings out something they can have in common with almost every student."

John Streit, 639-4805,

vb.beaconsports@yahoo.com