Garrick HallThree years ago, Hixson High School teacher and wrestling coach Garrick Hall started a physical education class geared specifically for his students with disabilities.
He even gets the seniors at the school involved, allowing a select group of them to help out during the P.E. class as a capstone project.
And now, thanks to a Junior League of Chattanooga mini-grant, Hall has the equipment to really make the class worthwhile – pedometers, stair steps, strength bands and more.
“I’m trying to get these kids to move and get healthier,” said Hall. “I have a high-functioning autistic kid at home and these kids just have a special spot in my heart. I felt like the need for these kids to have their own P.E.-type class is really important.”
The class includes – and can now go beyond – typical sports activities, incorporating things like step aerobics and yoga into the curriculum, and the wrestling room with its padded floors and walls is perfect for those activities, he explained.
Hall also plans to teach the students about nutrition, utilizing the small greenhouse at the back of the campus to grow vegetables and other produce.
“I’m excited about the greenhouse and trying to incorporate it into the class,” he said.
He hopes to bring in local chefs to teach about produce that the students may not know a lot about, like spaghetti squash.
All throughout the year-long class, Hall encourages the students to journal about the things they learn. This year they’ve already been writing about or drawing things like their favorite activity or type of produce, he said.