Schools

New London Gets Grant To Launch Project Fit Kids

A $687,000 grant will be used to establish a new physical education program aimed at improving New London students' fitness levels.

A grant awarded to the school district on Monday will help increase the percentage of students armed with the knowledge to make healthy living choices.
The $687,000 Physical Education Program grant will be used to launch Project Fit Kids—a new physical education program taking place in each of the district's schools.

At the end of the project's first year, PEP will evaluate the district's performance and potentially award the remaining $157,104 of the grant.

Project Fit Kids will improve the district's Physical Education curriculum; increase teachers' knowledge of evidence-based practices for improving students' fitness and nutrition outcomes; increase the amount of time students are active; improve students' fitness levels; increase the percentage of students with a healthy BMI and improve students' eating habits.

District physical education teachers Edward Sweeney, Amanda Illinger, Barbara Brooks, Michael Wheeler and New London High School Athletic Director Stephen Cravinho, submitted the grant in April.

"This is a big deal for us, it's like winning Powerball," Sweeney said Tuesday.
"This is really about a city-wide approach to attacking the problems facing our students. We're hoping to teach our kids lifelong habits in obtaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle."

In the early months of this year, the district administered modules of the School Health Index (SHI), reviewed student surveys, fitness and BMI assessments and identified areas in various physical fitness programs where improvement was needed. The three-month assessment revealed less than average student nutrition and fitness outcomes across the district.

Key Project Fit Kids activities include making school fitness facilities available before and after school; the addition of new equipment and other physical activities that will enable students of all ages and abilities—including those with special needs or disabilities—to engage in fun, healthy, physical activities and incorporating individual fitness portfolios for physical education students.

A press release from New London Public Schools.


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