The 2009-2010 school year is off to an incredible start! So far we have done kick-offs at
Ellis elementary in Roxubury, Jackson-Mann in Allston, and Sam Adams in East Boston and we have eight other schools signed up and raring to go. We have some great new program components this year including scannable scorecards, new and improved classroom and school posters, a fantastic English/Spanish monthly newsletter, colorful point-level certificates, a school-based rewards initiative, updated school leader toolkits, and the most fun part: five station kick-off events to start the year off with a bang. We set up five stations and with the help of interns and volunteers create an event that allows students 8-10 minutes at each station where they learn about a health behavior (1 hour + moderate/vigorous Physical Activity, less than 1 hour of TV or Video Games, eat 5-9 Fruits and Vegetables, drink water but No Sugar-Added Drinks, and 9-11 hours of good Sleep) and do a related activity. Students create posters of their favorite alternatives to TV, try different fruits and vote on their favorites, learn to read labels and guess how many sugar packets are in popular drinks, and take a rest while learning about the importance of sleep. We've had incredible feedback from both teachers and kids. I asked a boy today at the end of our kick-off at Sam Adams which station he liked best and he exclaimed, "I loved all of them!" Steve Venizelos, the P.E. teacher at Sam Adams, told me as we were leaving, "This is a great program! I'm going to tell other P.E. teachers about this!"
When I got back from East Boston I had an e-mail from Amanda Bakos, a wonderful nurse who works at both the O'Donnell and Otis schools in East Boston. She was writing to share her excitement about our November newsletter and tell me that she now walks between the two schools where she works instead of driving! I had just been on the phone the other day with the P.E. teacher from O'Donnell who was telling me all about his plans for pursuing the Drive 2 Fitness program along with his students and how excited he is to begin!
Wonderful things are afoot!
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