We Should Have a Skate Area at School for the Sixth Grade Using Skate Boards, Scooters

February 9, 2011

Dear Linda and Susan,

We believe that our class should have a skate area at school where they can use skateboards, scooters, ripsticks and roller blades. We have many ideas about why this is a good plan and how we can make this work at the school. This will be a sixth grade only activity that Nicole will supervise at a special recess time.

We know that you are concerned about our safety, but we have considered this and have come up with great solutions to the problems we think we may encounter. We will have parents sign a release form to show that they are allowed to use the

Skate Area. Kids will be required to wear helmets and any other safety gear that you want us to wear while using the equipment.

We are very aware that you are concerned about our safety but we agree that we can do this safely. The 6th grade is a reliable and trustworthy class and we will keep each other safe.

We realize that there might not be enough money floating around for the school to create this area, but if we need anything, we will provide it. You will not be charged for ramps because if we do have ramps then the ramps will be ones we already own.

They will not be left outside for other people to use them. They will either be brought home or brought into the classroom after recess. If you were wondering about paying us if ramps are stolen, don’t worry. We will provide the skateboards and other equipment and they will be our responsibility, including theft and damage.

We are older now and the play structure is getting too small for us. Do you want us to have no choice but to act like the last years 6th grade class just sitting around and talking on the stairs, not to mention making fun of other kids? The reason we think they did that is because, like us, they grew out of the play structure. Perhaps this would not have happened if they had other forms of enjoyable exercise.

Skateparks give kids the positive exercise they need to perform the best they can in school. Positive exercise makes kids happy. Kids don’t always like doing traditional and boring exercises like pushups and sit-ups. This is an exercise that kids enjoy more than traditional exercises. It will also give kids who don’t skateboard or do any other extreme sport outside of school, a chance to learn how to ride. Other schools have included skateboarding in their curriculum. You can check out www.skatepass.com to read about schools doing a skateboarding curriculum called Skate Pass.

Another reason why we should have a skate area is that it will teach our 6th grade class how to handle responsibility. We have learned from doing this that if you want something special, you have to work for it. This will teach other kids that the 6th grade knows how to work hard and maybe they will learn from our example. In addition, having a skate area for the sixth grade is a safe and friendly environment to learn how to do these extreme sports. We have kids in our class that can teach the other kids how to participate in these sports. We will not let them get discouraged while learning. This is a great way to practice community building and will make everybody have the best recess possible.

Thank you for taking this into consideration. We hope we have convinced you that we are responsible enough to have this privilege. We have thought through these issues thoroughly and thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

The Extreme Sports Crew