Ahead of the Curve

New Obstacle Course Puts Revere Students’ Fitness to the Test

The physical education teachers at Paul Revere Middle School are a congenial and fun bunch until it comes to conditioning: then they’re all business. The latest addition to the campus is an obstacle course designed to improve students’ strength and coordination. California students in grades five, seven and nine are tested for physical fitness in six areas: aerobic capacity (considered the most important), body composition, abdominal, endurance, and trunk strength and flexibility. Only 17 percent of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) seventh graders score in the healthy fitness zone in the six events. At Paul Revere, however, 30 percent of seventh graders pass the six events’right at the state average. ‘Our kids score higher than most other kids in the district on the fitness test,’ Revere P.E. instructor Justin Koretz said. ‘In the aerobic challenge, the majority of our seventh graders also meet the standard.’ Revere students (sixth to eighth-grade) are required to take P.E. five days a week and run at least once a week, usually a distance of one mile. ‘We have several courses for the mile to try to keep the students motivated,’ Koretz said. ‘We have the ‘grass,’ ‘around the world,’ ‘big bear,’ ‘Sunset’ and ‘Superman’ miles.’ General conditioning is also done once a week and the new obstacle course will be used to supplement those exercises. ‘It was fun. I feel like I lost a couple of carbs,’ seventh-grader Cary Jacobson said after trying the course several times. ‘It makes you feel stronger and gives you more energy.’ Revere parent Scott MacGillvery was instrumental in getting the obstacle course project off the ground three years ago. His son Graham, now a sophomore at Palisades High, was a student at Revere at the time. ‘I met Koretz and Stacey and Paul Foxson and I was impressed,’ MacGillvery said. ‘They were so dynamic that I asked them what they’d like and they said an obstacle course.’ An architect, MacGillvery designed the course, received approval from LAUSD, found a vendor that was also approved, got bids and then started looking for funding. At the time he was also working on a complete renovation of the school’s 50-year-old library. He decided to try to gain funding for both by making it a joint project. The total estimated cost for the library and the course was $300,000–over $200,00 targeted for the library and the remainder to go towards the obstacle course. Revere Principal Art Copper pledged $100,000 from the school; an anonymous donor said he would give $100,000 on the condition that parents and the community raise the rest. Parents went into action, writing and then receiving two major grants: the Ann and Kirk Douglas Grant and a Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant. Local community grants brought in money from the Masons, the John Arrow Foundation, the Optimists, Ralph’s, Palisades Junior Women and the American Legion. Still short of the goal, a mailer was sent to Palisades and Brentwood residents, enough of whom responded to raise the remaining money. ‘You can’t even thank enough people in enough ways,’ MacGillvery said. Although the library started renovations two years ago in December and by the fall of 2007 had completed painting as well as the installation of state-of-the art energy saving lights, carpeting, chairs, shelves and laptops, the obstacle course was stalled. In September, Revere parent Nancy Babcock stepped up to the plate. ‘The funds were there and the project was approved,’ Babcock said. ‘The problem was a fence that the district wanted installed around the course, but the instructors didn’t.’ Babcock, who had worked with the District on previous projects, negotiated the impasse. After both parties approved a low-level fence, she got new bids and the project moved forward. In January the course was open to students. ‘It is an incredibly exciting project,’ she said. ‘The course is a challenge and you can get a lot of fitness out of it. The kids are so excited by it.’ The P.E. instructors are also thrilled and look forward to the next project on their wish list. ‘We’re looking into various grants to have some type of running track installed in the P.E. area,’ Koretz said.