By

Heidi Abdallah,   Ocoee Elementary School

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Physical Activity Participation

Ocoee Elementary has 815 students currently enrolled and is a Title 1 school. The students run/jog/walk/hop/skip and/or jump their way around our track every Wednesday earning miles and smiles as they go. The FUTP 60 grant was used to purchase SPARK PE curriculum, training, and equipment. Students and staff are excited to move and play with the new PE curriculum.

How do you plan to make this Play last during the school year and beyond?

Students are encouraged to walk/jog/run as many laps as possible every Wednesday. I am hopeful that we will be able to open the track up in the mornings between 8-8:30am Monday-Friday, next year in addition to the Wednesday day. Students love moving and running and receive praise for their efforts. They can see the benefits of being physically active each day.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was the space to run. We created a grass and dirt track. Students do not seem to mind and it seems to work well. However, this year we are limited to only Wednesday to accumulate laps and students want to run more but we are unable to provide extra time. Hopefully, this will change next year.

What improvements have you seen at your school?

I have seen a greater desire to move and play physically active games. Students are more excited to be outside and teachers are happy to see them move. Students are more aware of the need to be active and eat healthy foods throughout the day.