Aurora Public Schools has partnered with Playworks, a nonprofit that engages kids during recess by having its staffers set up and coach activities it says reduce bullying and school violence.

While Playworks programs have been used in some Aurora schools since 2010, Superintendent Rico Munn decided to bring the program into all 31 of the district’s schools this year.

The program rotates staff through schools to both instruct school staff in the principles and practices of the program as well as actively working with students 10 days per month.

Andrea Woolley, executive director of Playworks, visited Aurora’s Sable Elementary on Wednesday to announce the partnership.

“We do know that schools that have Playworks experience 43% less bullying and 43% more vigorous physical activity than schools that don’t,” Woolley said.

By monitoring student behavior and coaching them in ways to handle social and emotional stress and conflict, Playworks gives children the tools they need to develop healthy relationships with their peers, officials said.

One game demonstrated at Sable Elementary was “Castleball,” a version of dodgeball that changes the target from individuals to a “castle” erected out of hula hoops that is easily knocked down by well-thrown foam balls. The objective is to run to the center of the field from both sides, grab a ball and try to hit and knock down the two opposing team’s castles. Kids have to strategize with one another as to who throws and who defends the castle.

Woolley said Playworks has a library of games kids can play, both indoors and outdoors that improve their social skills while defusing conflicts using resolution methods as simple as the rock-paper-scissors game.

“Our focus is creating enough games that kids can choose one that they like, making sure the kids understand the rules so they know where it’s going to be played, how to play it and how to solve problems within that game,” Woolley said. 

When asked about parents who think recess should be unstructured play time where kids aren’t being taught, Munn chuckled and said: “I’d say they haven’t spent much time on playgrounds.”

Munn said the effects of the program in schools where it’s been in place for some time are obvious.

“We’ve seen a decrease in classroom disruptions and far less bullying than in some other schools,” Munn said.

Playworks supports 25,000 students at 50 schools throughout Colorado.

Funding for the program comes from charities including the Denver Bronco Charities, the Anschutz Foundation and the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation. While precise figures were not available, the cost is estimated to be between $25,000 and $30,000 per school, per year, or about $850,000 per year for the entire district.