Not every after-school activity involves a scoreboard.

During the winter months at Friends Academy, the far wall of the gym gives students a chance to exercise while working their way up or across a colorful rock wall. Because students at Friends don’t have traditional sports offerings until they enter higher grades, the after hours rock climbing class keeps kids active.

The rock wall was constructed by the same team that handles inspection and repair of the ropes course in the woods behind the school.

“We use [the rock wall] in PE courses and after school programs,” said Charley Pelissier, director of external programs. “Right now, for a couple periods a week, I belay for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes. During PE, we take four kids from the class and they come here.”

Pelissier and science teacher Elizabeth Tammaro belay about ten students up and down the walls on Tuesday afternoons. On Thursdays, the class convenes at Carabiner’s, a rock gym in New Bedford. Pelissier said the wall at Friends can help students learn basic skills before they tackle some of the longer, more technical routes at Carabiner’s.

“Not everyone likes to go high, so here there are decent bouldering opportunities, too. For the kids who don’t like heights, they can start to get used to it here,” he said.

Sixth grader Kayla Peckham, 11, said she joined the class with her friends when she was in the third grader and has been hooked since.

“I like the harder courses because I like to challenge myself,” said Peckham. “Usually the harder ones have farther away grips, so it’s harder for me because I’m short. But I still like the challenge. It’s a lot of fun.”

Not only can students climb up the wall using the colorful holds, they can also create challenging obstacle courses to navigate through. Certain fixtures on the wall can be fitted with foam noodles that bend and bow to create half rings for the students to pass through.

“Sometimes it gets a little crazy when a bunch of people are on the wall,” Peckham said, referring to the foam noodle obstacle courses. “But once you start, you get a strategy and get how to do it. You have to focus to make sure you don’t knock the noodles off. It’s like a brain game.”

Another mental component of rock climbing is overcoming the height. Fourth grader Hayden Newman, 9, said he joined the group about a month ago despite his fear of high places. He had never tried traversing a rock wall prior to the class, but said participating was helping him work through his turbulent relationship with heights.

“The hardest part is your first try,” said Newman. “Just don’t look down.”

In addition to the after school program, the wall at Friends is available to students during the school day. The lower grades have an enrichment period at the end of the week where they can participate in a variety of electives.

As Tammaro was helping a student scuttle her way up the wall, she said the wall has been a hit with those who give it a shot.

“What elementary student wouldn’t be excited about doing this in the middle of the school day?” she said.