Central students enjoy mini-marathon
A sunny day with a bit of chill in the air made the perfect afternoon for exercise for Central Elementary students Monday.
A 5K walk/run marked the culmination of the school's "Fuel Up to Play 60" fitness program for the school year. All year long, counselor Debi Swinford has been working with the students on taking control of their own nutrition and exercise.
"I've been in the classroom every month working with the kids on these things," Swinford said.
Fuel Up to Play 60 is a national program sponsored by the NFL and the National Dairy Counsel. The fuel up part of the program involves educating them about proper nutrition for their developing bodies. Play 60 means getting them active for at least 60 minutes each day.
The walking and running portion of the program began in February, with kids training in the gym through the winter weather and an extremely wet spring.
Monday was the kids' first time on the outdoor course, with the kindergartners going 3 kilometers on the junior high cross country course and first through sixth-graders doing 5 kilometers on the high school course.
The kids were joined by some positive role models including teachers and aides, as well as Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter and Greencastle Police officers Chris Jones and Ed Wilson. The three men are all part of a group runners in law enforcement in the county, several of whom ran in this month's 500 Festival Mini Marathon.
For the kids, it wasn't just a hands-on lesson in fitness, it was an afternoon to enjoy.
"The kids are having a good time," Swinford said. "They're not in class, they don't mind."