Last month, Middle School principal David Glasner kicked off the First Annual Heart Healthy Challenge, a program that encourages Middle School faculty and staff to get and stay fit and to build community. Mr. Glasner was inspired by the District’s Shaker Has Heart campaign—a Districtwide initiative for the 2017-18 school year that’s focused on physical, mental and emotional health for all staff and students. The campaign also includes a partnership with the American Heart Association.
“We looked at this as an exciting opportunity to do something fun and healthy,” Mr. Glasner says.
More than 50 Middle School staff members signed up for the Challenge, which began September 18 and will end on during the Middle School Professional Development days on November 20 and 21. The program includes a bingo sheet of 50 activities ranging from doing 15 jumping jacks with a class, dancing to a favorite song, sharing a favorite healthy recipe with a friend and joining a Middle School sports team practice for a day. Staff are encouraged to take pictures of themselves doing each activity and sharing those pictures in a Google Slides document to encourage other participants.
PE teacher Rob Senor, who has taken the lead on the program, says that teachers have already reported engaging their students in the efforts. “We also wanted to leave open the possibility for students to be a part of it,” Mr. Senor says.
Staff members who fill in portions or all of the bingo sheet will be eligible for a number of incentive prizes, awarded periodically until the end of the program. “We’re really happy to have the motivation to do something healthy,” Mr. Senor says.