FIRTH- Jumpin’, dancin’ and groovin’. From teachers to students and even administrators, Norris Public Schools is trying to incorporate fitness into its daily schedule.
Norris superintendent Dr. John Skretta was recently named a “Champion of Health and Fitness” by Fitness magazine.
Skretta said he was honored to be selected as an individual - and keeps some lofty company with actress Jessica Biel, fitness trainer Jillian Michaels and First Lady Michelle Obama - but felt the award was for the entire Norris district.
“It’s been really flattering to be included in that and to be a person who can serve as a spokesperson for an active lifestyle and getting people up and moving,” Skretta said. “I’ve been fortunate to be in a leadership position where I can promote that agenda.”
Skretta said that agenda includes a “balanced curricular approach” with good core academic instruction and physical activity holding equal place in each student’s day.
“We want to ensure kids and family understand being physically active is a fundamentally important to having a fulfilling life,” he said.
One strategy Norris has used to incorporate physical activity into the regular school day is the “JAMmin’ Minute.”
Norris Middle School has been successful into making the exercise time an institution to the day, Skretta said.
At the beginning or end of class periods, students and teachers get out of their seats and take part in simple exercises designed to get the heart pumping.
With activity levels rising, Skretta said students are better suited to active learning in the classroom.
“I think it’s a great strategy because it all fits with brain-based learning,” Skretta said. He said an emerging field of education and neural science has show the brain is “wired to move.”
“If we’re sedentary, our attention actually drifts and focus declines,” Skretta explained.
By taking part in the “JAMmin’ Minute,” learning becomes multi-modeled, Skretta said.
“The kids are experimenting,” he said. “They have an active role as learners and it’s important for them to move in the classroom and do that.”
Norris has been a member of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for three years, earning a bronze rating at the elementary level and being nearly bronze certification at the middle and high school.
Skretta also thanked Shannon Vogler of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation as a “tremendous partner” and resource for the school.
“Really, when you think about it, it’s tremendous to have the resources at our disposal of a partner organization that is funded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation,” Skretta said. “It has provided resources, training and opportunities to do things and learn from experts.”
In the end, Skretta said Norris hopes to give its students and understanding about living a healthy and fulfilling life.
“The childhood obesity epidemic is a real deal, a profound problem,” he said. “Something we need to address is encouraging active lifestyles and nutrition literacy - to be aware of what we’re consuming.”
“We live in a wonderful society of abundant and affordable food, so it’s important to help students be savvy consumers, and know ‘when I take this, this is the impact on my health,’” Skretta added.
The Norris superintendent agreed that activities like the “JAMmin’ Minute” might raise eyebrows at first.
“We have found those activities have improved students’ behaviors, focus and sustained their concentration,” he said. “Some people might think it’s off the wall, others think it’s a good idea.
“But from a basic standpoint, there’s a lot of benefit to get kids up and groovin’,” Skretta said.
