For 15 minutes Tuesday, Heather Barrett joined 459 of her classmates for a spirited game called four square.
"I was so excited that we're going to be in a world record book," said the Hammond Hill Elementary School fifth-grader. 'It's amazing to be a part of that."
The children really will get themselves in the Guiness Book of World Records. In a National Recess Week celebration, sponsor The Cartoon Network created an activity never before attempted - school kids throughout the country participating in four square games simultaneously.
Hammond Hill is also in the running for one of 10 $10,000 prizes for its physical education department. Those awards will be announced Thursday, said Allison Ritter, a senior account manager for Hope-Beckham Inc. of Atlanta.
Corine Esposito, Hammond Hill's physical education teacher for the last 16 years, registered for the game and received a number of large playground balls.
"In my class, we always do brain food in the morning with a lot of reading and thinking," Esposito said. "I use the Guinness Book a lot. When the kids learned we had a chance to get into the book, they were all on board."
She used to teach four square in the past until the state standards were introduced. So Esposito and Buddy Satcher, who divides his time between Hammond Hill and North Augusta Elementary School, gave the kids an introductory lesson last week. Principal Janet Vaughan said Esposito also showed the faculty members how to play.
"It's a great game for the children to learn," said Vaughan.
The simple rules call for a single square divided into four. A kid in each square hits a ball to an opponent, who must let it bounce once before hitting it to one of the other players.
Ruth McGhee, mom of third-grader Zach and first-grader Nathan, was just as wired as the kids during the four square session.
"Physical activities are very important," she said. "Children need to be active to burn off that energy, get back into the classroom and focus on what's important. Our boys were so excited Saturday that they wanted to practice in the rain. We had to explain that wasn't going to happen."
Fourth-grader Baron Radcliff said he used to play four square a lot at another school and really enjoys it.
"It's the largest simultaneous game ever," he said. "They're playing all over the country, and we're lucky to be one of them."
