Students at Hatch Elementary School are going "gaga" for the newest addition to their playground.
On Dec. 3, a group of former Hatch students gathered after school to build an octagonal pit for "gaga ball," a fast-paced version of dodgeball that has gained popularity in recent years. The game is played with a soft foam ball, which players may only hit with an open or closed hand. If the ball hits a player below the knees, the player is out.
The idea for the pit came after the fifth-grade outdoor education field trip to Camp Edwards in Wisconsin. The students loved playing gaga ball so much that they decided to fundraise to bring the game to Hatch. Students and families raised more than $1,400 in the spring, and—thanks to the support of the Hatch PTO—were able to purchased the pit this fall.
"We are so proud of the Hatch Tiger fifth-grade student crew for making this awesome goal and then following through on it," said Jennifer Wrenn, a fifth-grade teacher at Hatch. "Now we have this exciting equipment as part of our playground."
