By volunteer student Carver blogger, Julia Berg
A small group of students chases after each other in a game resembling tag, dodging their peers’ playing other games as they run around the gym.
Occasionally, they playfully hide behind their friends for a moment before they make a run for it. They dart by a pair of students passing a soccer ball to each other.
The soccer players try to improve by practicing passing and receiving passes – the pair cheer when both use control to pass the ball smoothly and quickly several times in a row.
One of the students accidentally catches the soccer ball in midair, looks up, and calls out to his partner “Look! I caught it!”. He passes it a few more times when he instinctively catches the ball again. Happily surprised by the catch, he pauses to process his instinctive reaction before resuming the game. Many catches later, the ball slips away when he reaches out for it, but he can secure it in his grasp before it touches the floor. He smiles widely and walks back to his position, asking his partner “What’s happening today?” out of disbelief and setting down the ball for another pass.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the gym, a couple of students use their rackets to volley a ball with their counselor.
They playfully joke around, encouraging each other when they maintain a good volley and giggling when the ball inevitably falls.
Volunteer Julia Berg tells us lively stories about our summer and after-school students at the Carver Community Center.