New Interactive "Sportwall" a Hit at the High School

Equipped with flashing lights, motion sensors and voice commands, the newest wall in the Medford High School gymnasium is far from ordinary.

The recently installed XerPro Sportwall, purchased with a Physical Education Program grant, fuses physical activity with computer technology.

"There's about a million things you can do with it," Health and Physical Education Supervisor Eileen Dibattista said.

The wall, which also has a scoreboard, can be used for a variety of activities and games, as the sensors tally whether they've been hit. The wall was picked over other options, like a climbing wall, because it can be used for more purposes and requires less supervision. The wall cost about $15,000, Dibattista said.

It was installed in late October and has been used in gym classes the last few weeks.