November 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 40

Grade 6-12 students at the Salt Lake
Center for Science Education have
fun while learning in the school's
adventure-based physical education
program.

those events upon graduation from
The resurgence in recent years of
high school? Why not focus instead
an emphasis on math and science
on developing recreation skills and
in the public schools at the expense of
interests that can lead to a lifetime
other so-called ancillary subject matters
of health promotion through physi(music, dance, art, physical education)
cally active lifestyles?
is short-sighted. Properly thought out,
these subject matters can complement
The promise of a recreation-cenwhat teachers hope to achieve in math
tered curriculum as opposed to
and science as well as contributing
a traditional physical education-cengreatly to the education of the whole
tered curriculum rests in the intrinsichild in preparation for a lifetime of accally rewarding nature of recreation
tive, healthy living.
pursuits. Physical fitness becomes a
byproduct of doing what students find
To replicate the kind of impact
joy in doing rather than being someEaton has enjoyed requires school
thing they have to do. This was the
administrators who are:
lesson Madden's daughter taught him.
a) Devoted to the long-term health
She was not interested in physical fitand well-being of the community
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38 Parks & Recreation

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b) Willing to hire classroom teachers
who embrace a healthy lifestyle focus
and are eager to work collaboratively
across the curriculum to cultivate the
skills and abilities necessary for their
students to live active, enjoyable and
sustainable lifestyles after graduation;
c) Committed to do their best to ensure
the safety of adventure-based programming while simultaneously understanding life's inherent risks; and
d) Dedicated enough to the promise
of a healthy lifestyle to do whatever is necessary to overcome any institutional or bureaucratic barriers
to change (Eaton and Madden are
rarely told they cannot do something for risk or liability reasons,
and to date no one has been injured
during any of the activities.).
Principal Madden understands all
the reasons why others might balk at
what he has set out to accomplish at
SLCSE. He understands the convenience and comfort of the status quo.
He understands how school size and
class size might complicate matters.
Indeed, he, too, might have been reluctant to take his leap of faith had
not one of his students challenged his
thinking. In response to Madden's pronouncement that of all of SLCSE's
students would one day graduate, one
of his charges replied starkly, " That's
just not reality. " Jolted by the reaction,
Madden quickly adopted a new motto
for SLCSE: " Changing Reality. " Welcoming Cavett Eaton into the fold has
been a major step in that direction.
Keri Schwab, Ph. D., is an Assistant
Professor in the Recreation, Parks and
Tourism Administration Department at
California Polytechnic State University, San
Luis Obispo (keschwab@calpoly.edu). Daniel
Dustin, Ph. D., is a Professor in the
Department of Parks, Rereation and Tourism
at the University of Utah (daniel.dustin@
health.utah.edu).

November 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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