Healthy learners are the heart of Mat-Su schools

Valentine’s Day is almost here — the day to celebrate the heart.

For health and physical educators, it’s one of our favorite times of the year. Students around the Valley are pumping their hearts and flexing their muscles in a variety of athletic endeavors.

In addition to the exciting competition on the high school basketball courts, hockey rinks, and wrestling mats, many of our elementary students are challenging themselves in Junior Native Youth Olympics and preparing for the various “Jump Rope for Heart” events in support of the American Heart Association.

By now, you’ve heard the dire statistics: more than 30 percent of Alaskans are overweight or obese. Our children are increasingly being diagnosed with health-related illnesses, such as Type II Diabetes and high blood pressure, previously seen only in adults.

This generation may be the first in our history to have shorter lifespans than their parents. What you may not have heard are the efforts taking place, right here in the Mat-Su, to combat those statistics.

Did you know that the Mat-Su Health Foundation has contributed $150,000 this year for grants to support new and innovative programs to address the health of our youth? These funds have been used to provide swimming, yoga, and Zumba for our kids.

These funds have purchased snowshoes, snowboards, rock climbing gear, and other equipment to encourage increased participation in non-traditional recreational and fitness activities. If your child’s school has increased its menu of before, during, or after school activities over the past several years, it’s probably due to the collaboration between the Mat-Su Borough School District and the our community-owned health foundation.

Have you heard about the Farm-to-School program? In several Valley schools, students are getting their first tastes of a wide variety of fruits and veggies from this partnership. Have you ever tasted a fig? Have you tried a carambola, the tropical fruit also known as Star Fruit? Your child probably has.

Across the nation, there are increased efforts to get kids (and adults) moving and choosing healthier, more nutritious foods.

This is also happening at the local level. The Valley’s schools are determined to provide healthy nutrition options and physical activity opportunities throughout the day for all of our students.

Watching our kids’ energy levels increase with the lengthening sunlight, it’s easy to understand the recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity every day for our kids!

Mat-Su physical educators are leading efforts in their schools to create a more active learning environment. Recognizing that we only see our students for a limited time in PE classes, we strive to create more opportunities throughout the day for our kids to:

• Practice the skills they learn in our classes

• Pursue the activities that they come to love, and

• Encourage brain development by offering aerobic activities with both social and complex components

Every school is approaching this challenge in its own way to meet the needs of its community. For some, this means offering before school programs, such as Early Morning Movers, rock climbing practice, or jump rope teams. Other schools are looking to increase after school opportunities with a variety of sport instruction, dance clubs, and Native Youth Olympic teams. Still others are working to increase active recess with intramurals, Mileage Clubs, and other innovative programs.

In addition, most of our elementary schools are participating in Alaska’s homegrown “Healthy Futures” program, in which kids can earn prizes by being physically active beyond the school day on a regular basis. By encouraging families to make time for daily physical activity, Healthy Futures and physical educators are improving the forecast for Alaska’s children.

So, celebrate Valentine’s Day by celebrating your heart! Take time this weekend to ice skate on a frozen lake, or explore new trails from a pair of cross country skis, or even host a dance party in your living room. Get your heart pumping and your family smiling. Then, when you head to school next week for Parent-Teacher Conferences, make it a point to stop in the gym and visit with your child’s PE teacher to learn more about the exciting activities happening in your school!