“This was all about working toward a common goal and it promotes outdoor activity,” she said. “I just wanted to get them outside and let them be kids.”

And kids they were, though all were serious about keeping their balls bouncing. Exercise through play helps kids work on things like hand-eye coordination, self-confidence, teamwork and following rules, Dickson said.

Fourth-grader Martha Paige Green smiled widely as she talked about participating in the event.

“It was hard to keep it from wrapping around the paddle and to keep it hitting in the middle, but it wasn’t as hard as you think it would be,” Greene said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Setting a world record though is not without work.

To certify that the students and Langley actually beat the record of 412 people set by Johnson & Johnson, they had to have multiple people count the number of students involved. They also had to videotape the event, take photos of the event and fill out stacks of paperwork. Dickson said Langley and the school should hear back within eight – 10 weeks.

Principal Brian Murray believes in his kids, and even if a record was not set, he felt the afternoon was worthwhile.

“Good job you guys – you all did a fabulous job,” Murray told students, hugging and high-fiving them as they left the football field. “My teachers and kids work so hard day in and day out. I think they deserved to do something fun and active.”

Students participating had quite the cheering section as pre-K students shook pom, poms from the field’s stands.

“I feel pretty confident in what we did here today,” Langley said. “I think we’ll get the record.”

The school’s PTO, along with Sissy’s, PJ’s Fashions and Honeychild of Landrum, helped purchase paddle balls for any students who could not afford to participate otherwise.