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Illinois District OKs $300K in new exercise equipment for three high schools

Originally published March 22, 2019 in the Chicago Tribune.

By Gregory Tejada

Community High School District 218 officials approved the purchase of just over $300,000 worth of new exercise equipment for physical education programs.

The School Board voted 6-0, with board member Robert Stokas absent, to make the purchase from Direct Fitness Solution, a Mundelein-based company that is part of a national purchasing alliance with Sourcewell. Read More

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Moline-Coal Valley: $14M phys ed facility moves forward

Originally published April 8, 2019 in the Rock Island Dispatch Argus.

By Nicole Lauer

Moline-Coal Valley School Board members on Monday approved a plan for a $14 million multi-purpose physical education facility at Moline High School.

Board members voted unanimously to accept the plan offered by administrators with an expected eight-year bond repayment period. Chief financial officer Dave McDermott said key components of the new facility would be a six-lane track, four multi-use courts, updated locker rooms and a new weight room. The $14 million price tag includes the cost of new weight room equipment. Read More

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‘Highlight of my year’: Senator hosts dozens of Lancaster County students for annual event

Originally published April 4, 2019 in Lancaster Online.

By Alex Geli

Mahayla Meyer stood inside the state Capitol building on Thursday ready to defend a Senate bill she sponsored that would require all public school students, except student-athletes, to take physical education classes.

Then came a flurry of questions she never saw coming, despite working through an amended version of the bill in the Senate Education Committee less than two hours earlier. Read More

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Lee Central High School’s Wallace teaches physical education, exceptionally

Originally published Feb. 5 in The Sumpter Item.

By Angela Crosland

Research reveals that physical activity is 4.5 times lower for children and youth with disabilities compared to their peers. That is certainly not the case for Teriann Nash’s class of 11 exceptional students at Lee Central High School.

For 45 minutes each day, physical and drivers education teacher George Wallace leads the students in a rigorous workout catered to their individual physical abilities. For one, it may be standing, for another it may be jumping and yet another it may be moving every part of the body. There are also a few other benefits, says Nash, who teaches the class with the assistance of Melinda Carraway and Patricia Witherspoon. Read More

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Kids need physical activity to thrive and stay healthy through their lives

Originally published Jan. 29, 2019 in The Province.

By Ravi Kahlon

January is over, but it’s not too late to put New Year’s resolutions into action. For thousands of British Columbians, that means hitting the gym or trying new ways to get physically active.

To reach their full potential, kids need to be physically active too, but the reality is far too many of them aren’t getting the physical activity they need to thrive. In November 2018, ParticipACTION released its 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, which gave Canadian children a score of D+ for overall physical activity. It reported that only 35 percent of Canadian kids aged five-17 years old and 62 percent of three- to four-year-olds are getting the recommended physical activity levels for their age group. Tens of thousands of our young people are missing out on the protective mental and physical health benefits of being active. Read More