County schools seeking physical education grant

July 22, 2010

By Tim Mandell Register News Writer The Richmond Register Thu Jul 22, 2010, 02:00 PM EDT

RICHMOND — Madison County Schools has applied for a grant that would provide all 17 schools the opportunity to participate in PE4Life.

The 2010 PEP Grant is part of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program and will award grants between $100,000 to $750,000, with the average grant being $427,000, according to the PE4Life website.

Grant winners are expected to be announced in September.

“We had a program last year at Shannon Johnson Elementary School and B. Michael Caudill Middle School, where we put in fitness labs, action based learning labs and we did lots of things to increase physical activity and nutrition,” said Kathy Todd, who teaches physical education at Shannon Johnson and is a member of the district’s coordinated school health advisory council.

“If we get the grant, we will be able to implement new physical education curriculums in all the schools,” she said, adding that Farristown Middle School, which is scheduled to open in Berea in the fall of 2011, also would be equipped with PE4Life.

PE4life is a national non-profit organization dedicated to developing a country of active and healthy children and youth by increasing access to quality physical education, according to its website.

Each year the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) awards millions of dollars to schools and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs, according to the United States Department of Education.

Madison County Schools applied for the grant last year, but did not receive it.

Todd, along with Erin Stewart, community education director for Madison County Schools, said they believe their chances of receiving the grant are much higher this year.

One reason they cite is grant writer Artie Kamiya.

“I think he understands what this grant is about,” Todd said. “He’s a retired P.E. teacher with 30 years of experience and he has a 33 percent grant success rate.”

Another reason they feel good about their chances is the new set of grant guidelines.

“Madison County has such amazing support from our board and from our central office at laying the groundwork for coordinated school health and the grant this year is focused on coordinated school health,” Todd said.

“Before it was only about physical activities,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of ground work on physical activities and nutrition and we feel that’s what they’re looking for.”

Besides action based learning labs (for kindergarten through second-grade) and the fitness labs (third-grade through twelfth-grade), Madison County Schools has plans to add three fitness trails in the northern, southern and eastern parts of the county, Todd said.

Regardless of the outcome of the grants, Madison County Schools will continue to institute programs focusing on physical education and nutrition, Todd said.

“Even if we don’t get the grant, we are part of a school system that values health and wellness for our children,” Todd said. “We have an administration that supports physical activities and nutrition.”

Tim Mandell can be reached at tmandell@richmondregister.com or 623-1669 ext. 6696.

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