The Apollo Beach Elementary School in Hillsborough County, Florida recently started the "Morning Mile Club" to encourage student fitness. Seventy-five elementary school students along with about about a dozen parents participate in the Club, which meets four days a week at 6:30am to run around the school's half-mile track. The Club is run by the school's PE teacher, Wendy "Ski" Smiarowski. The program is modeled after Fitness International's "Morning Mile," a national program aimed at fighting childhood obesity and increasing fitness among children.
Students keep track of their distance by earning a rubber band for each lap; after the day's walk/run, they turn them in and Ms. Smiarowski records their distance. Once students reach five miles, they earn a necklace and colorful foot charm, with additional charms earned for every five miles thereafter. Any student who eventually reaches 100 miles will earn a special charm and the highly-coveted prize of being able to throw a pie at Ms. Smiarowski during the school's closed circuit morning show. Two students have already logged more than fifty miles since the Club began in January!
What creative ideas have your school implemented to keep students engaged in physical fitness and encourage healthy lifestyles?
For in depth coverage on the Apollo Beach "Morning Mile Club", visit the Tampa Bay Online story here.
Meghan Covert Russell
Thanks for shearing us nice article..
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