Olds Elementary School students have been learning about the Olympic Games through a special gym class unit this month.
Phys-ed teacher Randy Kish has been holding several school-wide activities such as 100-metre (m) sprints, the four-by-100-m relay, a skipping competition, a gym marathon and something called the "American Ninja Warrior Climbing Challenge."
Last week, he held a team cycling challenge for students in grades 2-4, calling it the "Tour de Olds," with each class competing against the others.
Students brought their bikes to school and rode as many laps as they could in 20 minutes on the paved trail behind the building. Kish said the exercise was an opportunity to teach students about road safety, including staying on the right side of the path and how to pass other cyclists safely. He also used it as a chance to tune up some of the bikes.
Kish also said the Olympics teach values such as hard work, honesty, teamwork and integrity. Earlier in the year, the school invited wrestler Danielle Lappage as a guest speaker who exemplifies those traits. While there, she talked about growing up in Olds and her journey to the Olympics.
"You're not training for 10 to 20 minutes. You're training for your whole life," he told students.
