Fitness Awareness That Makes a Difference

When fifth-graders and a physical education teacher noticed a lot of students in their elementary school were out of shape, they worked together to create a physical fitness challenge that could be replicated at school's across their school. The students partnered with other fifth-graders working on a service-learning curriculum that teaches youths to monitor and influence public policy.

Together, the students anonymously gathered the height and weight for each student in their school to determine the body mass index of the school. The data revealed that their school had an obesity rate twice as high as the rest of their state. The students then looked at existing fitness programs and discovered the connection between fitness and brainpower.

The young people used their research and the information they had learned in their classroom about advocacy, government, and citizenship to incorporate their recommendations into state law. They wrote an email to a state Representative, spoke before a legislative committee, developed a motto ("Every Voice Can Be Heard!"), and were even interviewed by the news reporters. The students were thrilled when their recommendations were part of a bill that was signed into law. The success of the project led students to create a DVD that highlighted the fitness challenge, and wrote to and convinced local celebrities and even the Governor to participate in the project.