‘I have P.E. today!’

This is the statement I hear each morning at school as kids pick up their breakfast meals in a corner of the gym and see me setting up equipment for the day’s learning. My elementary students say these words with barely contained excitement. For many, the fast-flying 45 minutes of physical education class is the best part of their day. For me, it’s a reminder that I have an important job to do, one that will influence my kids for a lifetime.

The importance of physical activity has been getting a lot of attention in the news lately. Research has consistently demonstrated a connection between children’s physical fitness and activity levels to academic success. Physical activity increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain and stimulates cell-growth in the hippocampus, which controls learning and memory. My kids will tell you that when they get their hearts pumping, they’re getting smarter!

Physical education classes teach our kids how their bodies work and how to work their bodies. Our students develop the skills to balance and bend and skip and jump. They learn how to find their own pace so they can run the distance.

They learn how to fuel their bodies with proper nutrition. They discover strategies for success within a team and design plans to achieve their own individual goals. They experience the joy of movement and the excitement of competition in a wide variety of activities.

A quality physical education program helps students develop the self-confidence to try many different kinds of sport and recreational activities throughout a lifetime. We all know adults who are unwilling to attempt new pursuits for fear of perceived failure or humiliation. Physical education teachers work overtime to create a new generation of adults who will be fearless!

In P.E. classes, our kids put themselves in these types of situations all the time. New and novel activities encourage kids to test themselves and their skills, and often lead to laughter and success.

Our classes must be built upon a foundation of trust and respect, allowing students the safety to take these risks before their peers. This environment creates an arena where great things happen and kids are eager to return for increasingly challenging tasks.

Physical activity opportunities give our kids a place to practice the skills they learn in physical education, and we are fortunate to have wonderful partners to help us provide more opportunities for our students here in the Mat-Su.

Healthy Futures is a statewide program that encourages students to develop the healthy habit of physical activity through activity logs, monthly incentives and community events. More than 9,000 kids from 84 Alaska schools participated in this fall’s Healthy Futures challenge, including about 200 of my fabulous Goose Bay Wolves!

Another great resource for our community is Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF). With its mission to improve the health and wellness of Mat-Su residents, this local nonprofit has supported our schools’ efforts in a number of ways. Since 2006, MSHF has provided $1,000 grants to schools that establish creative programs to combat childhood obesity. Last year, 50 schools received grants enabling them to provide such diverse programs as swimming lessons for Glacier View students, snowboarding and snowshoeing lessons for Goose Bay students, a physical fitness trail for Houston Middle Schoolers and Salads for Students to encourage Su Valley students to eat more veggies. This year, MSHF will also be offering a third round of $5,000 Healthy School Grants, which provide a total budget of $70,000 to support schools in their healthful efforts.

These are just two of the many community programs that are helping to get our kids moving. There is also a variety of youth sports and recreation programs, including Valley Youth Basketball, Wasilla Youth Baseball, Mat-Su Football Association, Mat-Valley Soccer, Mat-Su Amateur Hockey, Mat-Su Junior Nordics, Mat-Su Special Olympics, and even local gymnastics, taekwondo and ice-skating instruction. For a fun and active adventure that doesn’t cost a penny (beyond the initial cost of the gear), there are great hills for sledding, frozen lakes for skating and winter trails for hiking, skiing or snowshoeing. Opportunities abound for us in the Valley.

I believe in the importance of quality physical education to make a difference in the lives of my students. I also believe in the value of teamwork, to bring many and diverse opportunities for our kids and families to be active beyond the school day. In just a couple of weeks, the days will again grow longer and allow for more outside play. With snow finally in the forecast, we can all enjoy more fun and healthy adventures in this great winter playground we call home.

Nancy Blake is the physical education teacher at Goose Bay Elementary School. She has been a teacher and coach in the Mat-Su Borough School District since 1995.