“There are three things that really come with the grant,” said Carrie Earlscourt, a physical education training specialist from Focused Fitness in Spokane, Washington who was hired to help implement the new curriculum. “You get a large amount of equipment; three years of training for the PE teachers and after school program; and the biggest one for them is a curriculum. So everyone in the whole PE program is on the same page and using the same resources.”
Earlscourt and fellow instructor Glenn Eklund were at Right Fork School Center last week, helping to instruct students about their fitness. They also worked with PE teachers to move the curriculum away from the sports-based model to an academic and fitness-based model, according to Earlscourt.
“Today, we’re working with the afterschool family resource center. We’re going to provide after school programs that are fitness and health based,” said Earlscourt.
Right Fork’s PE coach Patty Morris, said she was thrilled the schools were receiving so much money.
“I’m used to getting $100,” said Morris. “Now I’m getting $10,000.”
Morris said she always struggled to just get balls for the students, now she’s getting a wealth of new equipment because of the grant. Those include fitness equipment, treadmills, rowers, a Nintendo Wii, fitness cords, jump ropes, and new balls.
Morris said the PEP grant will also change the way the students learn about health and exercise.
“When you play a game, it’s not just about tag,” said Morris. “Health is integrated into the game.”
She said students might play tag, but instead act out different parts of the anatomy, like a red blood cells trying to protect the body from a bad habit like smoking.
“They learn health while they’re playing games,” said Morris. “We’re putting the two together. Now it’s more fun for them to learn about health.“
Staff Writer Stephen Woodward can be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com
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