Open gym program at Salk Middle School helps keep children active in the summer heat

Every Monday the sound of bouncing basketballs and playing children fill the gym at Salk Middle School during Spokane Public Schools’ open gym program. It’s designed to give students something to do and a way to keep active in the summer heat.

“We just want students to have access to an air-conditioned gym,” said Le’Andra Myers, fitness, athletics and after -school coordinator.

The district was looking to fill some gaps in activities available to students, which showed a shortage in programs for middle school-aged children.

“We did some analysis of what we were offering in Spokane,” Myers said.

The district offers other summer recreation opportunities at three middle schools, so those schools were not selected for the open gym program.

“We didn’t want to double up on that,” Myers said.

With other middle schools still under construction, that left Salk and Glover middle schools available for the open gym program. They were also in walkable neighborhoods with easy access to bus lines. The Spokane Transit Authority offers free rides to students ages 6-18, with applications for the Connect Card available online at spokanetransit.com, at the STA Plaza or at local libraries.

The gym sessions, offered from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday, will take place at Salk through July 24, then switch to Glover through August 14.

The open gym idea took root last summer when the district experimented with offering an open gym at one school to test out the idea. Last summer people were still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“People were cautious,” she said. “We understood that.”

Still, the decision was made to keep trying even though the initial response was tepid.

“We just didn’t want to give up on it,” Myers said.

The idea was brought forward, and all five high school gyms were opened up every Sunday afternoon during the school year. The offering was well-received, Myers said. Parents liked that it was free, and students liked having the chance to play basketball with their friends.

Of the five locations open during the school year, four had good attendance, Myers said.

The open gym is available to all youth living within the Spokane city limits, even if they do not attend a district school. A registration form is required to participate and is available online at spokaneschools.org/opengym or at the schools.

Myers said the focus is on basketball, but they also have volleyballs and soccer balls for children to use. Kids can also bring their own balls or equipment.

“On occasion we’ll bring out the volleyball nets,” Myers said.

The site coordinators have several jobs within the district and have enjoyed creating relationships with the students, Myers said. Some kids show up by themselves rather than in a group, so the coordinators make sure everyone has a chance to play and participate, she said.

Now that the open gym program has proved its popularity, there are plans to continue it. The district is using pandemic assistance money to pay for it, but once that money is gone the program will be added to the district’s budget, Myers said.