ASTORIA — On a recent Wednesday morning, Victoria Davila spent 40 minutes practicing yoga, bending and stretching her arms and legs into poses like “tree” and “warrior 2.” But Victoria wasn’t in a yoga studio or a wellness spa. She was in school.

Victoria, a fourth grader at St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Astoria, spends one period a week doing whatever she desires. That’s because the academy sets aside a 40-minute period every Wednesday morning that offers students in fourth through eighth grades the opportunity to choose a fun-filled activity for themselves.

Principal Lucy Alaimo said that she considers the activity time to be as important as math, science, or social studies “because it allows them to be free, relax, and learn to use their imagination and creative skills.”

Among the activities students can choose from are robotics, creative writing, chess, basketball, art, and coding. There are also opportunities to work on the academy’s yearbook and perform community service. 

The activities are supervised by a teacher or a volunteer. The students are not tested, and they are not graded.

For Victoria, yoga was an easy choice.

“I love it,” she said. “I think it helps me focus, and it calms me.”

On the day The Tablet visited St. Joseph’s, Victoria and another student, fifth grader Kiara Cabrera, were working with yoga instructor Liz Ditterline on their poses. In a soft, calm voice, Ditterline guided the girls through a series of poses.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, playtime is important because it allows children to be creative, build physical, social, and intellectual skills, and calm their minds.

At St. Joseph’s, the activities rotate every six to eight weeks so that students can explore a different area of interest if they wish, Alaimo said.

Anielka Brualdi, a seventh grader, was testing her skills at chess after previously taking part in the creative writing workshop.

“I like them both because they both make you think,” she said.

Alaimo said she was pleasantly surprised that more than a dozen students have signed up for community service during the activity time period. Some of the things they have done include cleaning the grounds of St. Joseph Church next door to the academy, reading stories to children in lower grades, and making Easter baskets for kids living in homeless shelters.

“We designed the activity period to be fun,” she said, “but many of our students find that they get satisfaction from helping others.”

Alaimo, who has been principal for two and a half years, said the activity period is an important part of the students’ education. 

“We have rigorous academics, and we’re proud of that, but with the activities, our students benefit,” she said. “They’re learning teamwork and gaining confidence from mastering a skill they might not have known they had. And they’re doing it in a no-pressure atmosphere.”