Feb. 1, 2017 – Hoping to raise money to add to the PE technology it can offer students, Indian Springs Elementary (San Antonio, Texas) hosted the second IHT Spirit FitFest Friday.
More than 500 students got to use new IHT ZONE wrist heart rate monitors. Students as young as second grade became transfixed on the computer screen as they glimpsed a graph of their heart rate data during class. Even the young students could understand their effort by simply checking the color displays on the monitor.
“One teacher has a second grader and a third grader at school and they were talking afterward,” Hammond said. “Her son, the second grader, thought his 
monitor wasn’t working because it stayed blue the whole time. His sister, in the third grade, told him, ‘No, that means you didn’t work hard enough.’ The color is the key because they can see it.”
Students ran laps, jumped rope and tried to stay as active as possible while wearing the IHT ZONE monitors during their physical education period. After the workout, students returned their HRMs and took a quick look at their heart rate data on a computer screen before heading back to class.
“It was a super fun experience and the kids had a great time,” said Tracie Hammond, the P.E. teacher at Indian Springs who spearheaded the event.
Hammond said Indian Springs raised more than $6,000 and will now be able to have 30 students wear the wrist heart rate monitors during every class.
“We have 60-75 students in every PE session, so about half of them will now get to wear the monitors during class,” Hammond said. “We’ll rotate who wears them each class so every student will get to wear the monitor at least once per week.”
Prior to the FitFest, Indian Springs still utilized chest-worn HRMS purchased from IHT in 2013.
The IHT Spirit FitFest gives schools who have committed to purchase IHT ZONE wrist heart rate monitors and software a chance to use the monitors during a fundraiser. Parents, not just students, can see what the monitors and software do to motivate students and record data.
The IHT Zone monitor lights up according to the student’s heart rate.
- Blue: the student has not yet entered the moderate to vigorous heart rate zone;
- Yellow: the student has entered the moderate to vigorous zone;
- Red: the student has entered the vigorous zone.
Once the student completes the workout and returns the monitor, student, teacher and parent can all see reports that detail the student’s heart rate during class.
Schools given the opportunity to host FitFest events receive an event kit that includes 100 heart rate monitors, a computer loaded with IHT’s Spirit Heart Rate Monitor software to record the data, signage, numbered race bibs, with which they can craft a successful fundraiser. Everything is returned to IHT following the event. The kit also includes prizes from IHT for students who reach fundraising goals and more.
FitFest allows participating schools to craft their own fundraising experience based on their needs and what the community will respond to. IHT provides each school with parameters but leaves the final event decision in the hands of the local FitFest committee while remaining alongside to provide support as needed.
