Bay View Middle School won a national Physical Education contest sponsored by Interactive Health Technologies (IHT), competing against over 15,000 students from across the country. Students participated in a nationwide 30-day heart rate challenge, collectively burning over 61,656,391 calories and spending 2,452,960 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous-physical-activity in their target heart rate zone.
Bay View, led by Physical Education teacher Ms. Kaitlyn Bloemer, was atop the leaderboard in both the IHT Spirit Heart Rate Challenge as well as the Video Challenge, which drew national attention about how Physical Education is changing the lives of students and school districts as a whole. The heart rate challenge measured how many times students checked in with the Spirit System over a 30 day period (Bay View went 30 for 30 days), as well as the percentage of time students spent in their target heart rate zone.
“I am very proud of our students for their amazing involvement leading to our school winning this national competition,” said Bay View Principal Steve Meyers. “We talk a lot about technology and 21st century skills in our District. Our Physical Education teachers are combining these with health and wellness goals which will benefit out students for life. I give great credit to Ms. Bloemer for leading this effort along with her teammates Mr. Knutson and Mr. Neuser.”
In just 30 school days, the Bay View middle school students burned nearly 300,000 calories and spent 26,526 minutes in their target heart rate zones, about 80% of their overall class time. Along with Bay View Middle winning top school and the grand prize that includes $1,000 gift card, an iPad Air, and recognition at the National Physical Education Conference last week in Seattle, four Bay View students placed in the top 10 nationally based on their individual results.
For the past several years, HSSD has expanded its use of technology in physical education. Part of that strategy was to invest in the IHT “Spirit System,” an innovative digital heart rate assessment and curriculum management system. This wireless technology consists of a heart rate monitor worn daily during PE classes by each student. It allows teachers and students to objectively assess their performance day-by-day and year-by-year. It also levels the playing field for every student regardless of their fitness level, as it is based on effort, rather than athleticism. Students and their parents receive immediate feedback and results of their work out on their mobile phone at the end of class. Teachers and Administrators can aggregate the data at the class, school or district levels to help meet regulatory requirements or for trend analysis.
Stacey Burr, VP and General Manager – Digital Sports said, “We are really excited about the new partnership with IHT and our IHT Spirit Challenge program. Our miCoach training system is all about unleashing the very best in human potential in a way that is simple and personalized through the use of heart rate. We found our goals to be aligned with those of IHT and feel that the collaboration represents a fantastic opportunity to help thousands of teachers and school children achieve this. By bringing the miCoach system together with IHT in challenges such as this national competition, we can help more young people unlock their potential leading to active and healthier lifestyles.”
Finally, Bay View also entered the contest’s “Video Challenge” and took third place, garnering 2,000 online votes, while one eighth-grade student, Autumn Arbor (shown here with Ms. Bloemer), took second place in the student video challenge, winning a $250 gift card and $50 iTunes gift card.
About the Howard-Suamico School District: The Howard-Suamico School District encompasses 53 square miles in one of the most popular and attractive areas of Wisconsin. Located in the villages of Howard and Suamico – just eight miles northwest of Green Bay’s historic Lambeau Field – the district serves approximately 6,000 students in eight schools and 10 community-based four-year-old kindergarten sites, making it the 26th-largest school district in the state of Wisconsin. The HSSD vision, mission and beliefs can best be summarized by the motto: Serving, Learning, Achieving – Together. For more information about the Howard-Suamico School District, follow us on Twitter (@HSSD) or visit www.hssd.k12.wi.us.
