Catchball in the Schools
The College of Education & Human Development’s Collaboration and Resources for Encouraging and Supporting Transformation in Education (CREST-Ed) project and associate professor Rachel Gurvitch sponsored the 2nd annual Catchball in Schools Tournament on March 28, 2019 at Camp Creek Middle School. Catchball (some may recognize it as the “newcomer” game) is a team sport similar to volleyball with one main difference – players must catch the ball prior to passing it to a teammate or spiking it across the net. The teachers at Camp Creek Middle School formed a Catchball team and trained for a few months prior to the tournament; on tournament day, all Camp Creek Middle School students cheered on their teachers as they took on the local AtlantaNet Catchball team. Camp Creek Middle school teachers played well but the AtlantaNet players dominated all the games for the second year in a row! However, the teachers continue to practice even after the tournament – maybe already starting their preparation for next year’s tournament. Research data collected from this initiative demonstrates the benefits of teacher wellness programs in schools.