"Every decision you make today takes you where you will be tomorrow." We want kids to realize that you can be active in a variety of ways for the rest of your life, so we like to provide them with MANY options on a daily basis to exercise while having fun.
Our school is nestled in the foothills of the PNW.
Primarily we are a lower-income area and many of the kids have grown up in generational poverty or substance use/abuse. That being said, our "village" is one of great love and support and commitment towards our youth. They are continually finding ways to provide healthy alternatives for kids and encourage them to make positive choices. Our district has worked hard to be recipients of grants to help families and kids, and recently we got a Boys and Girls club started in our community. Our middle school of about 450 students is making some GREAT changes to improve the connectedness of kids, and we strive to create a positive environment for the kids to walk into every day.
My Project
I recently submitted a project (and got it funded!) for additional equipment in our Fitness Center. We have an old weight room in our school that has been converted into a fitness center filled with safe and fun activities for the kids to use. There are some hula hoops, weights, squat-racks, medicine balls, & step-benches. The recently funded project will add even more activities. The beauty of it all is the "work" part of the "workout" is masked by fun. This room gives the kids that don't like to play "sports" an opportunity to be active with their friends and have fun in the process. When I originally submitted the project I had forgotten that the kids had asked for some ballet barres to use for stretching/flexibility and to practice their ballet positions while maintaining their posture.
Any donations for this project will benefit our kids greatly, not just today but in the future.
TODAY they will be physically active which stimulates the brain to be able to focus on academics. They will also be learning skills they can use TOMORROW. Our goal, our plan, our hope is that they see that there are MANY ways you can "exercise" and many fun physically active things you can do with your friends to improve your overall health. Not just in PE, but throughout our lives.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Barth and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.