Downingtown, PA – Chester County’s 12 school superintendents are taking steps to promote healthy lifestyles in their school districts and their communities.
On March 10, 2006, the county’s 12 superintendents will challenge each other to a foot race. As part of Activate Chester County, from March 13 to April 7, the superintendents will participate in the Schools “Super” Step Challenge, in which the 12 superintendents will count their total daily steps Monday through Friday and record their mileage daily on the Activate Chester County, Web site.
Students and staff may then visit the site and track the superintendent's progress, e-mail words of encouragement and provide tips to increase their daily step totals.
At the conclusion of the 21-day walkathon, the school superintendent who has logged in the most steps will earn a “Super Y” prize pack for his or her school district that includes parties at the YMCA, giveaways and drawings for free Y memberships. The winner of the School ‘Super’ Step Challenge will be announced on April 8 at the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day.
The Activate Chester County School ‘Super’ Step Challenge will kick-off on Friday, March 10 at 9:30 a.m. at Downingtown West High School. The 12 superintendents will be presented with their official pedometers to count their steps and then take a ceremonial lap around the track with students from Downingtown West High School.
Downingtown Area School District Superintendent Dr. Levi Wingard feels that it is very important to promote healthy lifestyles in the schools and to lead by example.
“Studies show that the number of children and adolescents suffering from obesity has tripled in the United States over the past three decades and is becoming a worldwide epidemic,” said Wingard. “In Pennsylvania, 35 percent of our children and our teenagers are overweight. It has reached epidemic proportions and we all have to work together to solve the problem – schools, parents and communities. Studies have concluded that the solution for childhood obesity is the same as that for overweight adults – move more and eat smarter. However, it’s not enough to simply tell children be more active and to eat more healthily, we have to lead by example. Pardon the pun, but if we are going to talk the talk, then we need to walk the walk and the Super Step Challenge allows us to do just that.”
Superintendent Dr. Gus Massaro of Avon Grove School District agreed.
“It is our hope that by getting students, parents and staff excited about the Super Step Challenge that it will lead to future healthy initiatives and activities in school and at home,” said Massaro. “When students visit the Activate Chester County Web site to check our progress, they will also be able to check out ways in which they and their families can become healthier and more active.”
Both Wingard and Massaro are on the Activate Chester County steering committee. Activate Chester County is a community health initiative launched by Chester County YMCA's as a collaborative effort with partners such as Chester County Health Department, local municipalities, Chester County Hospital, Health and Wellness Foundations, PANA, and the schools.
Activate Chester County is a countywide, community health outreach initiative that aims to address the serious health crisis facing our area due to preventable, obesity-related diseases. Activate Chester County is a local response to the national Activate America initiative begun in 2004. For more information, please visit www.activatechestercounty.org.
The Activate Chester County Schools ‘Super’ Step Challenge is sponsored by the Chester County Intermediate Unit, the Phoenixville Area YMCA, the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley, the YMCA of the Upper Main Line, and Leisure Fitness, Inc.
