Fifth Grade Heads to Alley Pond Park!

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. — Langston Hughes

Speyer’s fifth graders took Langston Hughes’ words to heart when they spent the day at Alley Pond Park. As part of their first days as Middle Schoolers, the fifth grade trekked to the park, which is home to New York City's first public high ropes adventure course (the largest in the Northeast), to have a fun-filled bonding day despite the weather!

Each of the activities the fifth graders participated in is designed to emphasize different group characteristics — think self–confidence, communication, cooperation, trust, and leadership. Through these challenges, our students solved various problems together, explored a wide array of strategies, and learned the importance of listening to each other in order to effectively work together. 

 One element of the park they didn’t get to tackle: the high ropes course. The torrential downpour that prohibited them from that activity didn’t stop the fifth grade’s fun nor excitement. They enthusiastically finished the low ropes courses and, as you can see from the photos above, embraced the rain as much as possible out in the fields and trails!