What did they want to do?

The goal of this program was to train teachers on SPARK, a physical education curriculum, so teachers would use it with their students.

Who took action?
The district’s Board of Education and the district Superintendent helped create a policy mandating that every K-5 teacher in the district implement the SPARK PE curriculum in their classes. The district also committed funding to the project by providing over $25,000 to buy a complete set of SPARK equipment for each elementary school site. Each site principal ensured the program was implemented.

Where did this happen?
Redding School District - school

Demographics

• 6 elementary schools that average about 450 students and one middle school with about 1,200 students.
• 52%
• 83% White and 17% Other races/ethnicities approximately equally represented with slightly higher percentage Hispanic.

Academic Year Implemented
2004-2005 Academic Year

Why did they want to do it?
To educate students, staff and parents on the importance of making healthy choices through the implementation of a comprehensive physical education curriculum (SPARK), staff development opportunities, creation of a Health and Fitness Council, and development of nutrition policies. The goal was to train teachers on the physical education curriculum so they could use it with their students and provide nutrition education in classrooms.

Background

How did they accomplish their goal?
First, the district prioritized physical education and developed a comprehensive PE policy. The policy was developed by the Superintendent and the District’s Board. Then the district hired a community health educator through a partnership with the local public health department to train all of the teachers on SPARK and provide support throughout the school year. Other activities included hosting a nutrition Olympics for two K-5 schools, a K-5 cross country meet, a 5th grade track and field day, an assembly with a former professional football player, and middle school health presentations. Teachers began to see the benefits of the program and the effect it had on their students both physically and academically.

What were their results?
Increased physical fitness; better academic scores; more knowledge from students, staff and parents on the importance of eating healthy and getting physical activity. Due to the success of the program’s first year, which was funded by a grant, both the District and the Public Health Department split the cost of implementing it for a second year. A district-wide Health and Fitness Council representing each school site also was created and five nutrition and physical activity policies were drafted for Board approval in September 2005.

What are their future plans?
Next year we will evaluate the facilities at each school site to make sure they are safe and effective at providing opportunities for students to be physically active and eat healthfully. We also will take a closer look at food service to see how we can make changes to improve the quality of our program.

For More Information Contact
Jeff Mushkin
Redding School District’s Health & Fitness Focus
5885 East Bonnyview Road PO Box 992418
Redding, CA  96099-2418
United States
530-229-8487
[email protected]