"If you build it, they will run." - Kathy Shaw

I saw this great article in The Signal, a publication based in the Santa Clarita Valley, about a fitness program run by Kathy Shaw, a registered nurse (now a health and physical education teacher) in an elementary school. The program is called "Fit Team" and involves about 30 minutes of running or walking during the lunch hour for 20 Fridays of the school year.

Every student who participates in the "Fit Team" earns a brightly colored charm for a necklace. For every five miles, students earn a charm for their necklaces and get their pick of one of nearly 20 different types of "weepuls," little fuzzy balls that come in the form of animals and bugs. The classrooms also team up in a Fit Team competition in which the winning team is rewarded with an end-of-the-year smoothie party.

Teachers at the school have set a great example by joining their students for lunch and then hitting the track with their students together. The program has been a great success and there is now an after-school program where runners can earn extra miles.

This kind of program would be a great idea to implement into your school and relatively easy to do! Figure out what would motivate your students, whether it's charms or another type of reward and then work out a fitness schedule that works for both you and your students. Read the full article here.