Deb Weiske’s special education class spent a month preparing a homemade golf course so they could challenge staff members to a game.
“We worked on it for about a month. We worked on it hole by hole. We had nine holes total so one day it was ‘oh lets work on this hole the next lets work on this one.’ They’d come in on Mondays with things to add to the course, so we just kind of kept going with that,” Weiske said.
After a month of hard work, the course was finally ready. They chose Halloween for their grand opening.
“We invited, (Counselor) Mrs. Ragus came in, (English teacher) Mrs. Crowley came in and hit a hole in one, (Principal) Mr. Bednarek was in here as well. He was a good golfer. (Special Education teacher) Mr. Mlada had come in, so that way they could just try their hand at it,” Weiske said.
Creating the course was a way for her students to use their S.T.E.M. skills, along with keeping busy.
“I have some friends that need to stay busy, so just to keep them busy and make their brains think it combines math, engineering, science. It was a good, and easy way for them to think how they could combine the obstacles,” Weiske said.
Creating the course allowed the students to step out of their routine.
“We went for about a month walking over and under, and through things because there were materials everywhere. That was a challenge, having the classroom out of their normal place,” Weiske said.
It was also a great way for the students to show their creativity.
“(My favorite thing was) to have fun and use my creativity,” junior Alexis Holt said.
Although, as with many projects, there are things that looking back they would have changed.
“I would have added more wooden animals because we got to paint them,” Holt said.
The course was open to many teachers, helping to create a community.
“Inclusion into the activity that occurred in Mrs. Weiske’s classroom is always a source of joy for me,” Special Education teacher Ray Mlada said.
