Staying Fit For Life

As the number of inactive students increases, area school districts face the challenge of whipping their physical education programs into shape.

“Obesity in juveniles or pre-adolescent children has doubled in the past 10 years,” said Karen Cowan, District 81’s K-8 health and fitness coordinator. “It’s a worldwide concern, and it’s a huge concern in our district.”

Cowan is working to overhaul the district’s PE curriculum to emphasize healthy living.

The old-style PE curriculum of engaging students in competitive sports is passe, Cowan said. If programs are to survive, they also need to focus on health, nutrition and overall wellness, she said.

“Sports has become a spoke of the wheel instead of the entire curriculum,” she said. “We need to give kids those foundational experiences they need to keep themselves healthy and fit for a lifetime.”

Cowan said the program transition will take about five years to complete.

The changes also are being prompted in part by the state’s education reform, which sets new standards for health and fitness curricula in schools. In the future, students will have to pass a health and fitness section of the state’s new assessment test.

“When I tell parents what we are beginning to do, they are so excited about the change,” she said. “They say this is the way it always should be.”

Brenda Klohe, an elementary PE teacher for the Cheney School District, said Cheney schools also are working to align their PE curriculum with the new state standards.

But she also credits her program for actively promoting healthy living.

“In our school district, there are tremendous things going on to develop children’s enjoyment of movement and fitness,” said Klohe, who was named Washington’s 1999 Elementary P.E. Teacher of the Year.