Clary Community Room Provides Students Room to Grow – and Game
The 6th grade lunch period started, and a group of students entered the Clary Middle School Community Room with excitement.Some sunk into the leather couches; some gathered at high-top tables to eat their lunch. Others engaged in friendly games of ping pong or basketball; remaining classmates beelined for the treadmills and weight machines.
“It’s very fun here,” 6th grader Ichariah Franklin shared. “I like that we can come here, use our phones, and sit around and chill. It helps me relax… I look forward to coming in here in the middle of the day.”
It all started with the district’s Participatory Budgeting activity several years ago. Then, the school voted, choosing to use $5,000 to order arcade games, a ping pong table, and some other items to start a Community Center. Initially housed in the back of the school cafeteria as a behavior incentive, over time, the Center has expanded – now filling a large space off of the school’s foyer.
Elite Gaming provided gaming consoles like Playstation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox and has added gaming themed wraps to the room’s walls. The school has repainted the space and replaced the floors. They’ve added couches; and thanks to Physical Education budget funding, have added a variety of fitness equipment. In the fall, students were trained on how to use it.
“I really like the gym,” 6th grader Isaiah Stewart said. “I like to work out, and I’m trying to bulk up this year. Coming in here helps me get my energy out so when I go back to class, I’m ready to work.”
Students earn entry through the school’s MYP card incentive: they can visit during lunch on Fridays if they have a gold card; during lunch all week long as platinum card holders; and as a black card holder, students can visit the room during lunch or class periods, with teacher permission.
“Our vision is like a Google workspace,” Vice Principal Katelyn Hines explained. “We want students to have somewhere they can work, then take a break to have a snack or play a game with a coworker, then go back to work.”
School staff hope to soon add more gaming chairs and other miscellaneous perks – like snacks and drinks; and in the years to come, Clary administrators hope to create a plan that would allow them to staff the room into the evening hours, when it could be opened to southside families.
“Our kids really love this space,” Ms. Hines stressed. “They love playing games and stuff. It’s a huge perk for them. We have kids who in 6th grade never picked up a book – who are now reading and doing community service as 8th graders. We had kids who were quiet before and never spoke – who are now talking and volunteering around school because they want to come here. It’s incredible.”
We love the innovative thinking of Clary leadership in creating this space; and we’re proud of the students who are working hard to earn the opportunity to enjoy it!
