Lead by Example

By Mary North, Griffin Middle School, Frisco ISD

This year at Griffin, I really wanted to get the staff involved in our fitness and nutrition activities and wanted them to lead by example. I felt like if the staff are practicing healthy habits then the students will follow.

First thing I had to find out was what the staff wanted here at Griffin and what were we able to do. Everyone is working on a different schedule so it is hard to plan a school wide event sometimes. I wanted to offer a variety of activities so I could get more people involved.

One activity that we... Read more

Workout Wednesdays

By Spring Creek Elementary, Richardson ISD

Each Wednesday students and staff are encouraged to wear workout clothes to promote our school wide focus of having a healthy body and mind. Research has proven that physical activity improves brain function, so the goal of Workout Wednesdays is to get the students up and moving throughout the day when their brains need a “spark”. It does not last long, but it makes a huge impact on the students focus in the classroom. We believe workout Wednesdays are making a healthy impact on our students’ physical and mental health. Teachers are... Read more

Run Club, Push Up Club & PACER Club

By Tammy Gann, Vega Elementary, McKinney ISD

Several years ago, we noticed that some of our FitnessGram scores in the PACER test were pretty low. So, I started a Miles Across Texas Run Club that all of our students could participate in during PE. The student demographics of our school make it very difficult to do after or before school programs because of transportation. By having a program within the school day, it made it accessible to all 600+ students.

Each student had a partner that would keep track of their mileage (29 laps = 1 mile) while they ran for 10 minutes... Read more

Morning Mile Club

By Laura Dutt, Timber Creek Elementary, Lewisville ISD

Timber Creek students have the opportunity to participate in our Morning Mile club, Monday – Friday mornings. This is open to all students in Kindergarten – 5 th grade. Research shows that students are better prepared to learn when their day begins with exercise. Runners and walkers start their day at 7:15 am, out by Tiger Field. They walk or jog laps, while socializing with friends, each morning they choose to participate. Students are recognized on our Morning Mile bulletin board, and receive a foot charm for every 10 miles... Read more

The Health Hustle

By Jamee Little & Kera Williams, Chandler Elementary & Marion Elementary, Allen ISD

We believe that families are striving to make healthy changes. The Health Hustle is a large-scale health and wellness expo that was created to introduce our students and families to resources available in and around their community; and provide comprehensive health and wellness opportunities for three Allen ISD schools. This year’s 2 nd Annual 2015 Health Hustle was held at South Fork Ranch and played host to over 130 vendors representing the many aspects of health (i.e. – fitness, emotional... Read more

Ramp Up Recess

By Jenny Nations, Ditto Elementary, Arlington ISD

As a part of our partnership with Fuel Up To Play 60, we decided to increase creative playtime at recess by providing sports equipment for each grade level. Recognizing the importance of students using creative time to play outside, we used funds from Healthy Zone Schools to provided volleyballs, soccer balls, jump ropes, and other items to each grade level and gave them a bag to store it. We believe by using this idea for Ramp Up Recess we have created a healthier, more active atmosphere at our school. Each bag has different sports... Read more