The month of May is a wonderful opportunity that physical education and health educators have to celebrate and promote physical education and sports. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has designated May 1st as “National Physical Education Day.” As they have so aptly stated, “"Healthy, physically active kids learn better!"

Working in concert with parents and the community is a key component towards this goal. Judith C. Young, Ph.D., NASPE executive director, encourages parents to ask the following questions in order to get a sense of the physical education program at their child’s school:

• “Are there adequate indoor or outdoor facilities and equipment so that all children are participating?”
  
• “Does your child enjoy learning in physical education class?" (cited from NASPE website above)
  

I would also suggest that the following questions be addressed so that parents – and educators – may assess the overall impact of physical education, health and nutrition at their schools:

• Is the subject of health taught in the school? If not, why not? If so, what are the topics covered at each grade level, and who teaches them? (classroom teacher, physical education/health teacher, health specialist?) Is nutrition included in those topics?
  
• How are the topics taught in the health classes determined? By school personnel? A curriculum panel with faculty, Board of Education members, students, parents, community members?
  
• How do the health topics, as well as physical education activities, align with national and state standards?
  
• Are the school cafeteria’s offerings aligned with what is being taught in the Health classes?
  
• What are the budgetary allotments for physical education and health? Is it adequate for the maintenance and repair of current equipment? Is it adequate for replacement of broken equipment, or for increased class sizes? Is it adequate for the purchase and replacement of textbooks?
  

Let’s work together to help our children be active and healthy!

Andrea W. Petho
Health & Fitness Section Editor

It’s easy to stick with the tried and true. But for a change, why not try a new activity to commemorate Physical Education and Sport Month? Click here for a list of unit activity lesson plans on pelinks4u, posted by Editor in Chief, Dr. Stephen Jeffries, that might give you some new ideas.

Here are some additional ideas to promote and celebrate physical education and sport:

• A Physical Education Show: to be held once a year at your school. The show would involve students that perform 5 minute routines before their families, teachers, students, school staff, administrators, board of education members, and community members. The routines would be based on the skills developed in the physical education classes. For example, a dance routine, basketball skills, or self-defense skills could be demonstrated by the students to the audience. Healthy refreshments could be served afterwards.
• Family Fun Night: This after-dinner activity is held to help families become more active, and to learn more about the benefits of physical activity and healthy choices. Booths and stations can be set up, and families rotate from booth to booth (manned by the students) and participate in different physical activities, or engage in learning activities about health.
• P.T.A. Meetings: A presentation can be made to the P.T.A. membership to explain the importance of physical education to the overall health and well-being for the student population at your school.
• Press Releases: Let the public know about the positive events related to physical education at your school. Submit press releases to the local newspapers, radio and television stations.
• Web Pages: Consider developing a department, and/or individual faculty web pages. What a great way to communicate your program to the community, and to promote your activities!

from: Himberg, C., Hutchinson, G., and Roussell, John, Teaching Secondary Physical Education: Preparing Adolescents to Be Active for Life. Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL, 2003

Mahwah High School, in Mahwah, New Jersey, has recently shifted gears with their bi-annual physical fitness testing program. Previously, students were tested during the school year with the President’s Physical Fitness Testing program in the fall and spring – and that was it. But starting in the spring of 2003, things changed. Students who achieved the Presidential Level of the Fitness Testing program were awarded the patch and certificate at the annual school-wide academic, scholarship and achievement awards ceremony held in June. All of the students and parents present could clearly see the positive reward of the effort the award recipients put forth to achieve the Presidential Level.

In September, 2003, the school’s Department of Physical Education decided to “kick it up a notch.” Students who received the Presidential Level during the September testing were listed by name, with their respective times/numbers, on a bulletin board outside of the gymnasium. Each of these students received a specially designed T-shirt which states, Presidential ’03-’04, with the school’s name and mascot on it as well. This went over big. Students not only wear the T-shirt during physical education class, but those who are sports participants wear them during their sports practices – thereby promoting the program and their achievement.

Additionally, for the next round of testing this spring, the Department of Physical Education is going a step further. Flyers stating, Physical Fitness Testing, Got What It Takes? (with the date it starts) will be posted throughout the school. The sign in the front of the school will also announce the commencement of the physical fitness testing. Additionally, the school’s website is also promoting the event – on the “Principal’s Bulletin Board.” And those students who receive the Presidential Level for this round of testing will also receive the specially-designed T-shirt. All of the students who reach the Presidential Level during the course of the school year will receive the certificate and patch at the annual school-wide awards ceremony held in June.

(Mahwah High School Department of Physical Education faculty: Barbara Caldwell, Wendy DeSilva, David Dunn, Eileen Matarazzo, Gina Migliore, Robert Parker, Roger Pelletier, Jeffrey Remo)

New Canaan High School, in New Canaan, Connecticut, celebrates fitness through a collaborative effort with an elementary school in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

As Priscilla Schulz, a physical education teacher at New Canaan High School writes,

“Our project is to provide a field day and lunch to students in K-2 from Edison Elementary School in Bridgeport, Connecticut. New Canaan High School donates the funds to pick up the entire cost of hosting this event. From the buses to transport the children and teachers, to the lunches that are served, to the bags of snacks that the elementary students are given on the ride home, the moneys are provided from different service organizations within the school.

Approximately 60-70 seniors set up the field and run the relays and games for the roughly 220 children that come to participate in the day. From face painting to tug-of-war and an obstacle course, students from both schools take part in sports and games and interact with each other. At the conclusion of the activity period, the seniors escort their charges to the cafeteria for lunch. Everyone eats together, with the seniors in charge of serving and cleaning up. After the lunch is over, the seniors take their visitors to the buses, and hand out the snack bags for the children to enjoy on their drive back to their school.

I truly believe that the high school students get as much, if not more, out of this day as the elementary school students do. They see that they are a part of something positive, that working together can have a big impact, and they also get to see the teachers’ perspectives on the planning and execution of such an event. It’s something we all are very proud to be a part of!”

STEP ONE: Establish Physical Activity Programs in the School and Community

The Centers for Disease Control have published guidelines regarding physical activity programs for our children. Click here for online

These recommendations are a stepping stone in establishing sound programs that our children can enjoy taking part in (note how many times the word enjoyable is used):

1. Policy: Establish policies that promote enjoyable, lifelong physical activity among young people.
2. Environment: Provide physical and social environments that encourage and enable safe and enjoyable physical activity.
3. Physical education: Implement physical education curricula and instruction that emphasize enjoyable participation in physical activity and that help students develop the knowledge, attitudes, motor skills, behavioral skills, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physically active lifestyles.
4. Health education: Implement health education curricula and instruction that help students develop the knowledge, attitudes, behavioral skills, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physically active lifestyles.
5. Extracurricular activities: Provide extracurricular physical activity programs that meet the needs and interests of all students.
6. Parental involvement: Include parents and guardians in physical activity instruction and in extracurricular and community physical activity programs, and encourage them to support their children's participation in enjoyable physical activities.
7. Personnel training: Provide training for education, coaching, recreation, health-care, and other school and community personnel that imparts the knowledge and skills needed to effectively promote enjoyable, lifelong physical activity among young people.
8. Health services: Assess physical activity patterns among young people, counsel them about physical activity, refer them to appropriate programs, and advocate for physical activity instruction and programs for young people.
9. Community programs: Provide a range of developmentally appropriate community sports and recreation programs that are attractive to all young people.
10. Evaluation: Regularly evaluate school and community physical activity instruction, programs, and facilities.

(The website also goes into detail following the listing of these guidelines)

STEP TWO: Promote and Encourage Participation In Your Program

So let’s say that many schools and communities are doing some or all of the above. How many students are truly actively engaged? Are there a disproportionate number of unmotivated students in the physical education classes? What do students see as the benefit of participating in physical education? What are their expectations?

For any class, regardless of whether it’s Geometry, Wood Tech, U.S. History or Physical Education or Health, it is important for students to recognize the personal relevancy and value of why they are taking the course. Is it required? Maybe it’s an elective that meets an interest? Is the course needed to fulfill a graduation requirement? Perhaps it’s mandated by the state? Once a student is in the class, do they find it interesting? Are they participatory in their own learning? Is instruction student-centered or teacher-centered? Do students have a choice in what they participate in?

What can we do to help students become active and involved?

Consider the following:

• What do students think about physical education and health classes? Ask them what they hope to get out of these classes. Some of their answers may be enlightening.
• Have students list their top five favorite physical education activities. Is it possible for any of these activities to be scheduled into your school’s curriculum?
• Students Teach For a Day - Once the students have engaged in, become familiar with the rules of play, and are proficient in the activity, have them teach the class – it can be a great experience for them, and you!
• “Create a Game” – Students collaboratively work together to make up a game and then share it, by teaching it to the class. A rubric of what should be included (rules, clear procedures, etc.) is given to the students ahead of time – students are then graded on the game development and how well they met the criteria of the rubric.
• How many times was the word “enjoyable” mentioned in the CDC guidelines above? 5 times. It’s an important point and one worth emphasizing. Students are far more likely to be active participants in those areas that they enjoy. Taking part in enjoyable physical education activities may also have the benefit of developing enhanced levels of confidence, which can have cross curriculum applications to other classes and teaching opportunities during a student’s school day.
• Communicate With Parents And The Community - How about on “Back to School Night” – what can be shared with parents to promote your program? Perhaps a liaison between the school and the community? Is there a school newsletter that gets sent home to parents – perhaps something could be included there on a regular basis? Or does your school have a website? – promotional information could be posted there as well.
  

STEP THREE: Celebrate The Good Stuff!

So what does your physical education and health programs do well? Focus on the positive and then share it!

* Chat it up! Talk to students and encourage their participation in these upcoming events – if you’re excited, the students will be, too!

* Advertise upcoming events in newspapers, flyers, newsletters – and encourage participation from the school and community. And then publish the results.

* Positive reinforcement. Praise your students (and staff) for their efforts and accomplishments!

* Rewards. Appropriate tangible rewards for effort and accomplishment can be a satisfying and confidence-boosting token for students (and staff, too).

* Make sure administration is kept in the loop. The ultimate goal is the overall health and well being of our students. Celebrating any step towards the accomplishment of that goal, and making administrators aware, will assist with keeping physical education and health in the forefront, and may also help as a rationale at budget time.