Cottage Lane Elementary School Physical Education teacher Sue O’Rourke is combining fitness and STEM through one of CLE’s newest enrichment programs, In-line Skating! Every Wednesday before the school day begins, the CLE gym turns into a roller-skating rink—complete with disco-themed music and obstacle courses that students use to improve their balance and strength on their skates.
This summer, O’Rourke received an Orange & Rockland STEM Classroom Grant to purchase skates and protective equipment for students who were interested in participating in the new enrichment program. In her grant application, O’Rourke said, “From the physics and functions behind the roller skate, all the way through the science used in sports that involve a skate, there are endless amounts of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Throughout the project, we will be using skates in multiple ways. Tracking different health goals such as healthy heart rates, dissecting the formulas behind speed, motion, sounds and light, and even going as far as designing our own outline for a skate or rink.”
While the students are skating, they’re also wearing pedometers to track the “steps” they are taking while skating. O’Rourke explained that the movements that they do while skating are equivalent to what they would do walking or running and that it’s a great way to get your body moving and heart pumping.