Fitness is the focus at Eyestone Elementary School

November 11, 2009

By Brenda Rader Mross

The Wellington

 

Eyestone Elementary School is walking its talk when it comes to putting legs on a $2,500 Colorado Department of Education student wellness grant.

A year ago, Eyestone Elementary in Wellington (Colorado) was one of 12 Poudre schools to get a share of an annual $50,000 student wellness grant awarded to five districts for three years. The goal is “to improve the coordination between science, health education and physical education to emphasize student wellness.”

Everyone — students, staff, parents and community — is walking more and talking more about what constitutes fitness.

The public will have a chance to see students demonstrate some of what they have learned when Eyestone hosts its own 9Health Fair on Nov. 17.

Denver’s 9News “In the Classroom” program is not the same adult health fair the television station sponsors at 170 locations in Colorado every year.

Eyestone’s 9Health Fair is a strictly informational, kid-sized version where age-appropriate activities, displays and resource materials are planned by, given for, and conducted by students. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors of all ages may participate in a variety of health screenings and interactive booths and talk to representatives from several health-related community organizations, including the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Please bring any and all health-related questions; just be prepared to see 20 younger-than-usual smiling faces administering tests, running exhibits and passing out pamphlets.

“They get to be the teachers,” explained Carly Cooley, instructional paraprofessional and PTO president at Eyestone. “Everything is geared toward kids. It’s a great opportunity for kids to teach each other about healthy versus not-so-healthy options.”

Cooley and P.E. teacher Sandy Fetzer recently accompanied two students, Claire Pfeifer and Justin Hradecky, to a model 9Health Fair in Denver, where they perused dozens of displays available for attendees to “borrow” at no cost.

Cooley said the two fifth-graders were selected for their strong leadership qualities, respectful and caring traits.

“We touched, we tasted, we manipulated,” Cooley said, regarding the exhibition. “It was hard to decide, but Claire and Justin chose 10 activities to bring back. Nutrition Quest Jeopardy and Stop the Bullying were two I thought were especially good.”

The former is based on the popular television game show, while the latter is a question and answer game designed to give students practice with conflict resolution. Cooley said a scavenger hunt is also on the agenda.

Eyestone put its schoolwide wellness initiatives into play early in the semester with its first Family Fit Night. Cooley estimated about 300 parents and students came out for the hugely successful Sept. 15 event which featured two-on-two parent/child basketball contests, Wii boxing, hula hooping, jump roping and cup stacking. Colorado State University lacrosse team members got families moving, and a CSU speed trainer got them moving even faster.

“It was an absolute blast and at no cost,” Cooley said. “It was come, be together, and see what works for a healthier lifestyle. I don’t doubt we will do it again next year, but we’ll make it bigger and better and take it all outside.”

Vendors from Wellington also set up indoor fitness-related, informational displays.

It took a true community effort to raise $10,500 — $1 for every mile walked — during the Eyestone inaugural walkathon Sept. 20 through 27. The school’s only fund-raiser this year, the walkathon was a week-long event in which Cooley reported 100-percent participation from all 500 students and 80 staff.

“The walkathon exceeded expectations,” she said. “Especially during these tough times, we didn’t want to ask parents to dig deep into their pockets.”

Next year, Cooley said organizers are talking about bringing in a deejay and having a barbecue to celebrate.

Eyestone was a sea of green on Sept. 25 when every student and every staff member donned a brightly colored walkathon T-shirt provided by CanDo, the Coalition for Activity and Nutrition to Defeat Obesity. From 3 to 6 p.m. after school, 300 students and their families along with 20 staff members walked laps around the Wellington Recreation fields. For tracking purposes, walkers received a Popsicle stick for each lap logged.

Kindergartener Ryan Riedlinger raised $799.50 and third-grader Madison Knutson and her family recorded the most miles: 53.

Fourth-grader Zack Leal was the top finisher in another fall fitness event: the Cats on the Run Cat Scramble, a 13-mile half-marathon on Oct. 1.

The school’s annual Jump Rope for Heart was last week, an event in which Cooley said Eyestone had 100-percent student participation.

Still to come: Turn off the TV Week and Lunchtime Walking Clubs. Visit the school web site for the full story on fitness: www.psdschools.org/Eyestone. Click on “Eyestone Info,” then select “Eyestone’s Wellness Page” from the pull-down menu. There, viewers can also retrieve ideas for healthy recipes.

There is an additional fitness activity not listed online that, Cooley said, is proving to be simple and effective: taking five-minute activity breaks as suggested by Healthy Kids Club, a community outreach program sponsored by Poudre Valley Health Systems.

“When teachers are fighting that (negative) body language and lack of attention, these cards have been great for shaking off the cobwebs, then getting back to work,” Cooley said. “Kids are having a blast and behavioral issues have declined. Everybody’s getting outside more.”

According to Cooley, a five-year employee, staff camaraderie has also improved due to its shared commitment to physical fitness.

“We’ve always been tight,” she said. “We are loving and tender in a way that before was friendly, and now I would describe as intimate. There’s no division between classified and certified. We are one big team.”

Cooley’s to be credited for leading a parent-teacher organization for a second year despite the fact that her two children have moved across the street to Wellington Middle School. Her son, Aaron, is an eighth-grader, while daughter Sidney is in sixth grade.

“I love Eyestone,” she simply stated.

And she’s willing to do the legwork it takes to make sure families have the tools to get and stay fit.