News
Lower School students take on Red vs Blue Exercise Challenge
Posted October 10, 2012
Germantown Academy’s Lower School is up for the challenge this year—the Red vs Blue Exercise Challenge that is! With the goal to get students moving and engaged in physical activity outside of the school day, GA’s third, fourth and fifth grade students will participate in a web based program that allows them to log their physical activity and help their team. The winning team of the first-ever challenge will be revealed on Lower School Field Day.
Physical activity is extremely beneficial for a growing child. The American Heart Association recommends that all children two years of age and above participate in at least 60 minutes of enjoyable, moderate-intensity physical activity every day.
“My goal is simply to get our students moving and engaged in physical activity when they have free time outside of school,” said Lower School physical education teacher Dan Sullivan. “I feel that if I can influence just a few students to go outside and shoot hoops instead of playing video games when their homework is complete then I’m doing my job. It’s terrific because most of our Lower School students lead active lives outside of school so it’s easy for most of them to fulfill the suggested 60 minutes per day. Since the start of the challenge, the kids have been particularly mindful of the amount of activity they have been participating in as well as the benefits.”
Thus far, members of the Class of 2020, Class of 2021 and Class of 2022 have already logged 346 entries equaling over 500 hours of physical activity.
“I figured it could be a great way to encourage kids to be more active or to simply be aware of how active they are outside of the physical education curriculum,” said Mr. Sullivan.
GA’s students aren’t alone in the challenge. Faculty and staff will make up the Black Team (GA colors are Red, Black and Blue).
“The Monday after the challenge started I made a little side challenge to the entire Lower School faculty and staff,” said Mr. Sullivan. “I gave them the opportunity to become a member of the Black Team to see how they stacked up against their students. The response has been incredible.”
Physical education challenges are nothing new for GA Lower School students. Every fall and spring, the second, third, fourth and fifth graders participate in the President’s Challenge, where they complete a battery of five fitness tests that evaluate each student’s upper body strength, core strength, flexibility, agility and cardio-respiratory endurance.
Best of luck to all teams and get moving!
