Central students "rise" to the occasion
By Pam Reinig
Register Editor
Central athlete CJ Polkingham was between projects when his mom mentioned that RISE was converting an unused space into a community rec center. The effort sounded like a good fit for his STEM BEST class. So with the permission of his teacher, Ann Gritzner, and with
When Central basketball player CJ Polkingham heard that a new rec center was being developed at RISE, he knew he’d found a good project for his STEM BEST class.
Three Central student athletetes Hazen Loan, CJ Polkingham and Tommy Seeland, have found a project that combines their their extracurricular interests with their participation in Central’s STEM BEST program,Why is pickleball such a big “dill?”
If you ask Central students, they might say it’s because the activity is only offered at one place—the new RISE Community Rec Center. Though all three knew little about the game a few weeks ago, they’ve learned some of the finer points as they’ve worked on the newly opened RISE Community Rec Center.
Loan, Polkingham and Seeland advised Jessie Pensel, RISE Executive Director, and the RISE Board, during the final stages of the rec center’s development. They researched TVs and sound systems, and even hauled unused lockers from the school to the rec center.
All three are student athletes. The rec center project gave them an opportunity to combine their extracurricular interests with their participation in Central’s STEM BEST program, and effort that matches students with area businesses and groups for hands-on, real-world learning opportunities.