Now
Fair
75.0°
High
88°
Low
66°
Full Forecast

Coupon

Jobs

Cars

Homes

Rentals

Alerts

Subscribe
Home > News > Local
Bookmark Us   •   Make Us Your Homepage

Huntington 5th-graders hit the links

Comments 3 comment(s)  
E-mail Story E-mail Story
Print Story Print Story
Share  Share
Text Size: 
Tools Sponsor

BY MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Oct 10, 2008 - 05:08:21 pm CDT

The fifth-grade class at Huntington Elementary has been working toward this beautiful fall morning on the golf course for three years.

They’ve learned how to hold a golf club and how to putt, chip and drive.

They’ve practiced hitting the ball toward a target (a velcro one on the gym wall), about how much force is necessary on the putting green or the fairway, about how to walk, not run, from hole to hole.

Story Photo
After instruction in the basics, Huntington Elementary fifth-grader Branson Richardson, 10, excitedly tees off at Ager Junior Golf Course on Friday. (Robert Becker)

And so Friday morning, physical education teacher Chris Johnson managed the chaos, er, golf, at Ager Junior Golf Course while 65 fifth-graders put their lessons into practice.

Johnson began teaching a golf unit three years ago, after Lincoln Public Schools administrators applied for grants to buy clubs for schools to use.

That means the fifth-graders got their first taste of golf in the classroom as third-graders.

“We’ve been working and building up to this day for three years,” he said.

Golf teaches students all sorts of skills, he said, from the etiquette required on a golf course, to training brain and body to maneuver the club with just the right amount of force.

He organized the field trip to expose the students to real golf and show them what’s available in Lincoln.

“I love getting out (to golf) because of the challenge and I just wanted to pass that on to the kids,” he said.

It was no small undertaking, requiring a host of volunteers, from local pros to senior league members.

Among them was Lincoln High School golf coach Sam Sharpe,  who offered advice to four fifth-graders trailing behind him as morning threatened to turn into afternoon.

“This is fun,” said Logan Remaklus. “I want to do it every year.”

This was the first time on a golf course for three of them, though they had experience with miniature golf and the “glow golf” at shopping malls.

But this was something different.

Logan and his golfing partners, Lyrica Baxter, Megyn Clark and Raven Rempe, agreed the hardest part of golf is hitting it hard down the fairway.

But also the most fun.

So they lined up, focused their attention on the little red flag waving in the breeze, hit their balls down the fairway and ran into the fall day to find them.

Because, golf etiquette aside,  some things are just too hard to resist.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.


$1 Sunday Delivery - Subscribe Today!
Local > Back to Top of Story

Post Your Comment

Standards and Rules
All posts to JournalStar.com are subject to our Terms and Standards.
Your posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.
(optional)
   
Hide Comments Hide Comments   Newest First Newest First  
my my wrote on October 10, 2008 5:48 pm:
" It's no wonder our kids are falling farther and farther behind. Some would suggest they are failing. Wouldn't it be better to put most of these kids through a morning of academic learning? "
Golf Dad wrote on October 10, 2008 7:53 pm:
" My, my, my... how you miss the point. This story brought tears to my eyes thinking about these kids setting their sights on a three-year goal and achieving it thanks to the hard work and dedication of our public school teachers. A morning of academic learning will only do any person so much. A morning on a golf course teaches a young person what it's like to make a plan, follow through with dedication to the rules and expectations of a life-long sport, and interact with peers in a way that sets the groundwork for what will be encountered in adulthood. "Academic learning," as much as it prepares a person for standardized testing, does not teach a person how to handle the frustration of an errant drive or a missed putt.

I'd like to thank Chris Johnson for exposing these young Lincoln citizens to a sport that they'll be able to enjoy their entire lives. When all of the redundant academic tests have been taken, these kids will be the custodians of this city's fine green fairways and I'll rest happy and satisfied knowing that a Lincoln Public Schools P.E. teacher taught them how to look at life in a way that respects the natural world and the people that inhabit it.

Please use my tax dollars for more programs like this. "
teacher wrote on October 11, 2008 1:02 am:
" Congrats to both Chris Johnson and this amazing group of fifth graders. They have worked hard both inside and outside the classroom for the last three years to prepare for this amazing opportunity. For many of these students this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and shows the dedication and commitment that Chris and all the teachers at Huntington put into educating, inspiring and guiding the students to become productive members of society. For students learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom, and this just one one of many opportunities that Chris takes to show his dedication and caring to his students and their continued success in all aspects of their lives. They will never forget Mr. Johnson and all the volunteers who made this day possible and I sure it will be something they will talk about for many years to come. Keep up the amazing work Huntington students and staff! "

Ads by Yahoo!