Founded in August of 1997, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Ft. Myers, FL has over 10,000 students with a faculty and staff of 700. The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Wellness Committee and the Campus Recreation Department at FGCU has created a health and wellness program entitled “Soar Into Shape.” This program is for all FGCU faculty and staff and is designed to help them create and maintain healthy and fit lifestyles. In addition to promoting regular physical activity, the FGCU Campus Recreation Department is providing seminars and classes based on the total mind, body, spirit continuum. By teaming with the President’s Challenge, it allows the participants to stay motivated and easily log and track their progress over the course of the year.
SPARKfit is a collaborative effort of The SPARK Programs and the President’s Challenge Programs. SPARKfit is designed for
High School Physical Education (PE),
Middle School PE and
After School programs working toward maximizing the benefits of fitness circuit programs.
The educators and fitness experts at SPARK have worked with the President’s Challenge Programs to integrate the President’s Challenge Fitness Tests as well as the Active Lifestyle Program into this online program. With a focus on nutrition and goal setting, SPARKfit links activity leaders to the President¹s Challenge Programs and utilizes these powerful tools in a meaningful way to teach students how to manage their own personal wellness.
Educators and activity leaders will find everything they need to implement a successful Fitness Lab program including:
- Fitness and nutrition focused lessons
- Circuit training videos with printable station cards
- Goal setting tools and more
SPARKfit (previously “Fitness Lab”) is a component of SPARKfamily.org (previously MyStationPE.com). SPARKfamily.org is a special, password-protected website where educators can access a library of effective digital tools to support their program. To learn more about SPARKfamily.org and access a free trial, visit http://www.sparkpe.org/familysite/.
About the SPARKfit Programs
SPARK is a research-based organization that disseminates evidence-based Physical Education, After School, Early Childhood, and Coordinated School Health programs to teachers and recreation leaders serving Pre-K through 12th grade students.
Each SPARK program program strives to foster environmental and behavioral change by providing a coordinated package of highly active curriculum, on-site teacher training, extensive follow-up support, and content-matched pe equipment.
Since 1989, SPARK has provided curriculum materials, teacher training, and consultation to over 100,000 teachers and youth leaders, representing many thousands of schools, organizations, and agencies worldwide.
To learn more about SPARK visit
http://www.sparkpe.org/.
With more than 5 million members, PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the United States. PTA promotes parent involvement in schools and mobilizes its members to take action on issues that benefit students, families, schools, and communities. Children’s health and wellness has been a top concern for PTA since its earliest days, and PTA continues to advocate at the national, state, and local levels for policies that promote the health and wellness of children. Further, through the PTA Healthy Lifestyles initiative and other programs, PTA promotes physical activity and healthy eating in school communities across the nation. The PTA national organization provides local PTAs with the resources they need to implement such programs, and helps ensure that parents have access to the most current and reliable information to help their families incorporate healthy habits into their day-to-day lives. A collection of parent resources on health and wellness is available on the PTA national website at http://www.pta.org/parent_resources.html. To learn more about what PTA can do for your school and community, visit
http://www.pta.org/.
The Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) of Bloomington, IN recently launched this program to encourage all students in the corporation to be physically active each day. Funded by the Foundation of Monroe County Community Schools (FMCCS), Sweat Every Day has it's own web page that links directly to the President's Challenge online tools. Students keep track of their physical activity and earn President's Challenge awards made possible by FMCCS.
This unique program serves as a model for other school corporations and organizations that are looking for ways to encourage their own students to Sweat Every Day! To view this website visit
http://www.mccsc.presidentschallenge.org. For more information on how your district can get involved email the President's Challenge
preschal@indiana.edu.
The U.S. Department of Education has teamed up with the President's Challenge and the Harlem Globetrotters during the team's 2006 North American Tour to promote healthy and fit lifestyles through physical activity and character education. Entering their 80th consecutive season in 2006, the Globetrotters are playing in nearly 200 cities and visiting over 200 elementary schools across the United States and Canada. With the CHEER Challenge the Globetrotters are encouraging students to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day and will encourage them to earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.
For updated information visit
http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com or
http://www.ed.gov
Wellness, Academics & You (WAY) is a program that integrates physical activity, nutrition, and substance abuse information into the general curriculum of 4th and 5th grade classrooms and meets national and state education and NASPE standards.
WAY uses a true multimedia approach that addresses multiple learning styles and is sensitive to not only ethnic and cultural issues, but also varying classroom contexts. Through the rigorous classroom-based and home activities in the program, students will be encouraged and educated in ways to increase their physical activity on a regular basis and enhance their overall wellness through participation in the President's Challenge.
The Fitastic Elementary School Challenge encourages Atlanta area elementary students to become physically and mentally fit by eating right, exercising, and embracing social and economic accountability. Students receive Fitastic Challenge Cards, which require them to complete a number of healthy eating options and exercise activities over a six-week period. Most of the exercise activities are already on the list of approved activities from the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program. The winning elementary school with the highest percentage of completed cards will receive a cash award for their P.E. department, a field day, and the Presidential Fitness Awards for those eligible students who also meet the President's Challenge requirements, compliments of P.E.A.C.H Communications. There will also be a grand finale Fitastic Field Day for elementary students and their families from around the Atlanta area to compete for additional individual prizes.
Sponsored by PepsiCo, and in collaboration with the President's Challenge, PE Central created a cutting edge site designed to encourage middle school students to maintain and increase their physical activity. The site features attractive graphics and a number of tools that allow these kids to:
Founded in August of 1997, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Ft. Myers, FL has over 10,000 students with a faculty and staff of 700. The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Wellness Committee and the Campus Recreation Department at FGCU has created a health and wellness program entitled “Soar Into Shape.” This program is for all FGCU faculty and staff and is designed to help them create and maintain healthy and fit lifestyles. In addition to promoting regular physical activity, the FGCU Campus Recreation Department is providing seminars and classes based on the total mind, body, spirit continuum. By teaming with the President’s Challenge, it allows the participants to stay motivated and easily log and track their progress over the course of the year.