Yes Wii Can

Christmas came two months early for the Port St. Joe Elementary School Bridges Class.

On Oct. 21, the lucky students received a Nintendo Wii gaming system, five interactive games, accessories and a large flat screen TV.

The students were rewarded not by the jolly patron saint of Christmas, but by a group of altruistic residents led by Bridges Class parent David Whitfield.

Whitfield, a physical therapist at the Long Avenue Sacred Heart rehabilitation facility, discovered a novel use for the Wii system in a professional journal.

The Wii (pronounced "we") makes video gaming an athletic experience, using wireless controllers and motion-sensing technology.

After learning that rehabilitation facilities were using the Wii to help patients develop balance and other fine-motor skills, Whitfield saw a perfect application for the Bridges Class.

The 13 students, including Whitfield's son, Harley, are all developmentally disabled.

Though their disabilities range from autism to Down syndrome, most of the students have difficulties with fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination.

To purchase the equipment, Whitfield staged an impromptu fundraiser through his charitable organization, SEED Kids, Inc.

The organization, which stands for Serving Early Education for Disabled Kids, previously funded a handicapped-accessible playground for the elementary school in 2005.

With the help of Port St. Joe Elementary principal Melissa Ramsey, Ralph Rish, Carlton Rich, Warren Yeager and other community members, Whitfield raised $2,100 for the complete Wii system.

Since the Wii's arrival in the classroom, school physical and occupational therapists have utilized games like Wii Fit -which increases core strength and balance - as part of their treatment plans.

Wii Fit allows students to select animated male or female personal trainers and charts their weight and progress.

Bridges Class teacher Joni Mock said the Wii makes therapy seem more like a game than a chore.

"It's better than them doing exercises on a mat because it's interactive. It's more motivating to the kids," she said.

Mock uses the Wii system primarily as a motivational tool in her token-based rewards program.

Students can earn tokens daily by completing work, behaving, being kind or complimentary to others and having a good day.

Each token translates into two minutes of Wii time on Friday mornings before lunch.

Last Friday, the students enjoyed rousing matches of Mario Cart and bowling, a class favorite.

The students bowled strikes using hand-held receivers attached to their wrists by safety straps, and steered Mario and his friends through a perilous racetrack.

Onscreen, the customized avatars, called Mii ("me"), performed the actions controlled by their human counterparts.

 The class selected their Miis on their first day with the system, choosing their face shapes, hair and eye colors and adding freckles where needed.

Once the school installs a wireless connection, Mock's students will be able to log onto the Internet through the Wii, and play additional video games.

Mock's long-term goal for the Wii system is to increase awareness and tolerance of disabled children by increasing their interaction with the larger school population.

The idea, first espoused by Whitfield, is to invite students into the classroom who would not ordinarily associate with developmentally disabled students.

If gaming together leads to conversations in the hallway, or even a wave of acknowledgment, then Mock and Whitfield will have succeeded.

"We want the kids to see they're really not all that different," said Mock.

Mock also plans to share the Wii with the rest of the student body, using it as a rewards system for kids in need of motivation.

Wii time could also be used as a reward for students chosen as the school's Dazzling Dolphins, who currently earn Happy Meals for outstanding conduct.

"It needs to be a school-wide thing," noted Mock. "Our main goal for our kids is to be a part of the main school, not just our classroom."