Innovative walking
program marches on with success

Elementary students get fit on their "lunch hours"

An innovative walking program designed to improve fitness among elementary school students and decrease playground troubles has found success at the A.W. Becker Elementary School.

Launched in January, nearly half of the school's students continue to take part in the voluntary program as the school year winds down, said Physical Education Teacher Greg Ronca.

The program involves students spending their recess time walking a traffic circle in front of the elementary school instead of swinging, climbing monkey bars or aimlessly meandering around the playground.

The program was launched in an effort to not only get students less inclined for physical fitness moving, but also to fill playground time with constructive activities and address discipline problems that were developing on the playground, said Principal Claudia Verga.

Students in grades 2 through 5 take part twice a week, walking the 1/8 mile course  as many times as possible. Seven times around the circle is equivalent to a mile - which, Ronca said, is the ideal goal for each walking session.

"Some of the students choose to run or race each other and that's fine," said Ronca. Others perform additional aerobic activities on the walking course, including:

§        Skipping

§         Galloping

§         Sliding

§         High knees

§         Heel kicks

"There have been some kids who have dropped out of the program, but those losses have been negated by those who have joined in," the teacher said.

Students will be rewarded for taking part in the program through a kick ball tournament later this school year, with students who did not take part in the walking program watching.

Ronca said the program:

• Enhances school physical activity opportunities

• Fights youth obesity

• Reduces playground hassles

• Keeps students active

• Recharges students for the second half of the school day

• Is simple to run and inexpensive.

"After the activity, students will feel more energized and motivated going into the next class, thus stimulating their ability to learn," he  said.