American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

More Than 3 Million Students Will Participate in Let's Move in School During National Physical Education and Sport Week (May 1-7)

RESTON, VA, April 29, 2011 – More than three million students representing more than 4,500 schools will participate in Let's Move in School (LMIS) next week during National Physical Education and Sport Week. A national initiative to increase physical activity before, during and after school, Let's Move in School is in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign and is a project of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). Activities are planned throughout the week beginning on Sunday, May 1 when Parkway School District in Ballwin, MO hosts SHAPE UP to LIVE FIT, a health and wellness expo expected to attract over 5,000 children and their families. LMIS representative Dennis Docheff, president of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), will participate with former American idol contestants Nikko Smith and Aloha Mischeaux, among others.

Highlight of Events

 

• Monday, May 2 at 1:45 pm, 148,000 Philadelphia students will participate in the Beyonce "Let's Move! Flash Workout" initiative as well as other physical activities including a program by the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
• Tuesday, May 3 at 1:42 pm, 32,000 Miami-Dade County Public School students are joining the Beyonce "Let Move! Flash Workout."
• Wednesday, May 4 at 8:25 am (MT) physical education teacher Peggy Chappuis and her students at Eastgate Elementary School of East Helena, MT will Skype her Morning Moves routine to the students of Lana Peterson-Pressler at Rousseau Elementary School in Lincoln, NE.
• Thursday, May 5, 1-3 pm, Port Matilda Elementary School in Port Matilda, PA, winner of the Let's Move in School drawing with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, will host a community walk-a-thon.
• Friday, May 6, over 2,900 3rd graders and about 350 high school kids will participate in the annual Kansas Kids Fitness Day in Wichita from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. 

 

In addition, AAHPERD/NASPE member Coach Cate Dill of Sudbury, MA, who is walking and biking across the U.S. to motivate all Americans to live healthy, physically active lives, has now completed 3,000 of her 5,300-mile trip. During May 1-7 the middle school physical education teacher will be in Maryland meeting with school children as part of her "Let's Get Moving America" journey.

 

"Although it has been established by research that a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity a day is essential for student health and academic performance, we are challenged with how to offer adequate physical education and physical activity in the face of other education demands," said Brad Strand, AAHPERD President. "Let's Move in School provides a cohesive message along with tools and resources to implement a comprehensive school physical activity program."

 

With physical education instruction as the cornerstone, a comprehensive school physical activity program enables students to practice and apply movement skills in a culture of active learning. These "active outlets" include morning announcements, classroom activity breaks, integration of activity into classroom lessons, recess, activity clubs, walk to school programs and intramural and interscholastic sports.

 

Let's Move in School brings together leading national and state associations, federal and corporate partners to help schools coordinate physical activity before, during and after school. Strategic partners are ASCD, American Association of School Administrators (AASA), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and National School Boards Association (NSBA).The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition serves as a federal partner along with more than 40 national nonprofits and six district and 50-state AAHPERD associations as supporters.

 

Supported by the following corporate partners, Let's Move in School is committed to improving physical activity among youth: the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, American Beverage Association, HERSHEY's Track & Field Games, ING, Skillastics, Dance, Dance Revolution, GenMove, HOPSports, PlayCore, Playworld Systems, SPARK, Speed Stacks, and the United States Tennis Association. To find out more about the initiative and access promotional videos and tools, visit www.LetsmoveInSchool.org.

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Contact:
Paula Kun
pkun@aahperd.org
703-476-3461

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The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE’s 15,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, administrators, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare professionals in these areas. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD). For more information, visit www.naspeinfo.org.

The vision of AAHPERD is "Healthy People – Physically Educated and Physically Active!" Headquartered in Reston, VA, 25 miles west of Washington, DC, AAHPERD is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, physical activity, dance, school health and sport--all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. Its mission is to advance professional practice and promote research related to health and physical education, physical activity, dance and sport by providing its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. For more information, visit www.aahperd.org.