Central Junior High School seventh-grader Tateona Williams, left, and eighth-grader Rhiannon Crocker play Wii Sport Bowling during Wii Wednesday at the school.

For one Wednesday a month, Central Junior High students in the after-school program are encouraged to play video games.

Specifically, Nintendo Wii games.

“I always have to stay for the after-school program, but I’m always looking forward to coming to Wii,” says eighth-grader Rhiannon Crocker.

The game has a hand-held controller that interacts with an image projected on a huge screen in a classroom. Kids gather to play Wii sports like baseball, bowling, tennis and golf. They also take part in tournaments to see who is the “Wiinner.”

“It’s just kind of fun to play a Wii with your school friends and have tournaments,” says seventh-grader Isaac Hill.

The Wii is a big draw for the kids in the after-school program, who have a lot of other activities to choose from once the last bell of the day rings.

“It’s an active game, so that’s actually what I like about it because I like the Wii Sports and the games they have to offer,” says seventh-grader Chris Hatfield.

But it also teaches life lessons. “They’re learning social skills,” says after-school program manager Laura Leonard. “Everything we do has some basis in academics or life skills, success skills.”

Leonard says the Wii teaches basic math, patience and peaceful conflict resolution.

The real reason Leonard purchased the Wii last summer is because, well, it’s what the kids wanted.

“The biggest point of us having a program is having kids doing what they want to do,” she says.