For Williamsville elementary schools, recess meant some free time after lunch.
“We got to do whatever we want. And we did after lunch,” said Chloe Overhoff.
Chloe is now a middle school student. She says recess in elementary school in Williamsville never meant time on the playground, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
This year, it's different in Williamsville. For 20 minutes a day, students will get a recess in between class time, not just after lunch.
“It's an unstructured time for kids to be able to socialize and have that little mental break and for them to get together and do something that is active instead of involving academics,” said Dr. Charles Galluzzo
Galluzzo is the principal of Maple West Elementary School. He says recess is important for physical, mental and social health. This year Williamsville is doing a test run for recess in their elementary schools.
“We haven't really gotten enough data at this point to take a look at how it might impact student learning. We'll be looking at that through the year to see if it does have any impact,” added Dr. Galluzzo.
If all goes well for recess in the Williamsville Central School District this year, the plan is to keep it next year as well.
