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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SPORTS ICONS COME TOGETHER TO ENCOURAGE MORE MOVEMENT IN SCHOOLS

 

San Diego Padres kick off 2011 season by hosting hundreds of teachers and students at PETCO Park for physical activity showcase

SAN DIEGO, Calif. March 31, 2011 -- Let's Move in School, a national initiative to increase physical activity before, during and after school was the cause for a celebration of moving, hosted by the San Diego Padres and led by Drew Brees, Annika Sorenstam,Tracy Austin and Carl Lewis, with hundreds of local students and adults at PETCO Park today. In support of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) has brought together leading education, health and sports organizations to advance school-based physical activity.

 

"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," states Vicki Worrell, AAHPERD President. "Let's Move in School provides a unified 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

Showcase With support from the Padres' youth fitness initiative, FriarFit, the Let's Move in School Showcase at PETCO Park modeled what schools can do to increase physical activity before, during and after school. The celebration started with a physical education showcase, featuring students from nine San Diego County schools demonstrating quality physical education. Participating schools included Green Academic/Athletic Magnet, Tierra Del Sol Middle, Hilltop High, Hage Elementary, Silver Gate Elementary, Mission Middle, Pacific Beach Middle, Clairemont High and Westview High. Students from each school demonstrated different physical activities, including a flash mob dance routine, tennis, cultural dances and power circuits. Elaine LaLanne, widow of Jack Lalanne, "the godfather of fitness", joined the demonstrations to have some fun and show support for quality physical education.

 

Following the physical education showcase, sports stars took the stage to model how schools can make physical activity part of the learning environment. Drew Brees, 2009 Super Bowl MVP led "wake-up warm-up" morning announcements, followed by Tracy Austin, former World Number One female professional tennis player with supporting remarks for quality physical education. Annika Sorenstam was unable to attend, celebrating the birth of her son; however her Foundation was represented in providing words of support. The Pad Squad and Swinging Friar joined Dr. Toni Yancey, author of Instant Recess, in leading an Instant Recess baseball activity as an example of classroom routines that improve attention and behavior. Carl Lewis, the only US Track and Field athlete to win nine Olympic gold medals, closed the event by leading an after school game to build running, jumping and throwing skills.

 

"The Padres are proud to host the Let's Move in School showcase at PETCO Park," said Padres Vice President of Community Relations Sue Botos. "The mission of the Padres Foundation is to encourage local youth to LIVE, LEARN and PLAY, something Dr. Yancey has supported for years by helping us develop our Instant Recess and FriarFit programs."

 

"It's great to be part of the Let's Move in School celebration. This initiative aligns perfectly with the mission of my foundation to teach children the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle. Our schools are critical in creating a culture that values physical activity and teaching students great habits so they can follow their dreams," states Annika Sorenstam.

 

Aligning Education and Health Leaders Let's Move in School brings together leading national associations, federal partners, and corporate partners in an effort to help schools coordinate physical activity before, during, and after school. Strategic partners are ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), American Association of School Administrators (AASA), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). In addition, more than 40 national nonprofits have joined as supporters of this new initiative.

Getting Started

Schools can get started by planning a Let's Move in School celebration during National Physical Education and Sport Week, May 1-7, 2011. More than 1 million students are already signed-up to take part. To register a school celebration, find out more about the initiative, and access promotional videos, tools and more visit www.LetsMoveInSchool.org.

 

Let's Move in School is supported by the following corporate partners, committed to improving physical activity among youth: The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, American Beverage Association, HERSHEY'S Track and Field Games, ING, Skillastics, Dance, Dance, Revolution, GenMove, HOPSports, PlayCore, Playworld Systems, Spark, Speed Stacks, and the United States Tennis Association.

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Contact:
Jennifer Jones
jjones@aahperd.org
703-476-3416

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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.