Grant helping Delavan-Darien students get fit
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Fifth grader Christian Jaramillo is a blur as he spins on the computer dance pad at Wileman Elementary School in Delavan.
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Junior Turcios works up a sweat during a session by fifth graders on the interactive dance equipment at Wileman Elementary.
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A student grips a bar to read his heart rate during a session with the interactive computer dance equipment at Wileman Elementary in Delavan.
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A fifth grader dances on a practice pad with a group of students using computerized interactive dance equipment at Wileman Elementary in Delavan.
DELAVAN — Waiting in line to use exercise equipment doesn’t do much for a person’s heart rate.
Those waits soon will be a thing of the past at Delavan-Darien High School.
The school district is working hard to upgrade its physical education programs thanks to a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The district landed the three-year grant last fall, and changes already have been dramatic, said Deb Ludlow, the grand co-coordinator and department chairwoman for heath and physical education at the high school.
“It’s just such a wonderful opportunity,” Ludlow said. “Things are just starting to happen.”
Ludlow is thrilled by the variety of activities that will continue to become available to Delavan-Darien students.
“We would never, ever have something like this,” she said.
So far, students have enjoyed snowshoeing, hiking and bowling. Top-notch cardiovascular equipment already has been installed in the middle school.
Memory cards allow students to accurately track their progress. The information can be easily viewed by teachers and shared online for competitions with other school districts, Ludlow said.
Elementary school students have started hopping with electronic interactive dance equipment.
Next year, a rock-climbing wall will be installed, and year three of the grant includes plans for an outdoor running track, a ROPES course and fitness equipment at the high school.
Other plans include building a disc-golf course. Field trips could include trips to Kettle Moraine Park. Canoeing or kayaking on nearby lakes is also a good possibility, Ludlow said.
The added activities—particularly the outdoor components—have meant changes to the district’s physical education curriculum, although the district has always been progressive in its attempts to get students interested in physical health, she said.
Before landing the grant, it was a challenge for students to squeeze in enough exercise, Ludlow said.
“Right now, our kids are lucky if they can be in their target heart rate for 10 minutes without having to stop and share equipment,” she said.
While research varies, Ludlow personally recommends that children get at least 20 minutes of quality cardiovascular exercise three to five times a week.
Students have really started working up sweats, Ludlow said. The program also has meant extra work for teachers, she said.
Five times a year, the district is required to record students’ activity for seven-day periods inside and outside the school buildings, Ludlow said.
“What they want to see is that with the money we’re getting the kids to be more active and getting them to enjoy being more active,” Ludlow said. “If we’re not improving our scores, the grant doesn’t continue. We’re not guaranteed anything. It’s not like free money.”
Ludlow thinks that as students’ cardiovascular health improves, academic test scores will also improve.
Ludlow has been writing the grant since 2002 and finally last year asked the school district to get a professional grant writer for the project.
“I almost started crying when I learned we got it,” Ludlow said. “It’s a good lesson in the fact that you don’t ever give up on anything.”
ABOUT THE GRANT
The Carol M. White Physical Education Program provides grants to local education agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand or enhance physical education programs. The grant is for equipment to support kindergarten through 12th-grade students and includes after-school programs.
Grant recipients must implement programs that help students make progress toward meeting state standards. Funds may be used to provide equipment or staff training.
To learn more, visit ed.gov and type “physical education” in the search box.
Mar 3, 2010 at 8:20 a.m.
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officerfriendly and superdave: BINGO! you hit the nail on the head.
some people just dont get it and want the government to give them a hand out. My kids dont go to a public school and a few years ago we bought high hurdles from a public school for $1 each. There was nothing wrong with them but the public school replaced them because they got some "grant" and needed tp "spend" the money so they just bought new ones even though they did not need them.
Stupid!
Mar 3, 2010 at 8:07 a.m.
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"There are thousands of government grants yearly". Therein lies the problem!
Mar 2, 2010 at 11:45 p.m.
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ohilwi, you are right. There are thousands of government grants yearly. This is one of the reasons why our federal taxes are so out of control. Cut the federal grants = reduced federal taxes. Beyond securing our borders and protecting us from our enemies, the role of the Federal Government should be very small.
Mar 2, 2010 at 10:06 p.m.
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Goodness. Do some research. There are thousands of government grants yearly. Why does one school get it and not the other? Because not every school applied for it, and out of the ones that did apply, some were more in need of it, or had better plans for it, or whatever. They are competitive grants. This is nothing new. Students going off to college apply for grants. Some get them, some don’t.
Mar 2, 2010 at 6:02 p.m.
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Drat...and they were just getting up to BBQ'n weight, too!
Obesity will now be a thing of the past in the greater Delavan-Darianland area (yeah, sure it will)!
Mar 2, 2010 at 3:26 p.m.
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"$1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education" sounds like $1 million too much.
First of all, why does this agency exist?
Secondly, why did this one school district get this grant? This is federal money, if one district gets $1 million shouldn't all the other districts also get $1 million (each)?
Third - don't get me started on the kids walking/riding to school issue. Many of today's parents think that their role is to protect their precious babies from the real world, when in fact their role is to teach them to live in the real world. See previous thread for a really long discussion of this topic.
Mar 2, 2010 at 1:04 p.m.
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so it is ok to use tax money to buys a few treadmills but not ok to use tax money to build an ice rink so kids and adults can all use it and enjoy it and stay fit?
Go to any of the local ice rinks and I bet you cant find one "husky" kid. (I should say FAT but that may hurt thier little feelings) Put down the twinkees and psp's and go do somthing!
Mar 2, 2010 at 12:40 p.m.
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officerfriendly1, one thing that can help is the walking school bus concept.
http://www.walkingschoolbus.org/
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truth1, you're the only person using the words "make sure". The article says "help", "available", and so on. The grant is there so that the faculty can monitor student activity and health and give them feedback, so the students will be able to begin learning how their actions (eating, lazing around, exercising) have consequences.
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Since we do have a society where "work" as defined as physical labor is declining, we need to teach people to be more cognizant of how they eat and stay active. We have diets of fat-laden meat that are appropriate for a much more labor-intensive lifestyle, but most of us have jobs that make us sit all day or at best operate a machine. We are only beginning to adapt ourselves to this change, and schools are obviously part of that if they have any purpose at all in preparing people for adult life.
Mar 2, 2010 at 12:19 p.m.
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I see it every day in my school district. Children that live less than a mile away from the schools are driven to the schools by their parents, clogging up the streets near the schools and making a dangerous situation. These same parents then wonder why their kids are overweight. I thought walking was great exercise? Common sense is all but gone folks. Open up your wallet and hand it over!
Mar 2, 2010 at 11:57 a.m.
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Grants don't "make sure" kids get exercise either...Not at all.
Mar 2, 2010 at 11:56 a.m.
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Equipment isn't going to "make sure" kids get exercise.
Mar 2, 2010 at 11:38 a.m.
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"Why are taxpayers responsible for making sure kids get exercise?" --- Taxpayers are responsible for making sure kids get educated. Should we not do that either? The more fit kids become, the more healthy adults we will have in the future. Do you want health care costs to go down? Taxpayers pay for health care in one form or another too. Well, have healthier kids and adults! Kids and adults who have learned how to eat healthy foods and have active lifestyles need to have a starting point. This grant is a starting point for many kids and adults in this community.
Mar 2, 2010 at 11:33 a.m.
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"Equipment" isn't going to change kids' mindset about their health...They need to be EDUCATED about the effects of poor health choices and prompted to CHANGE their health behaviors on their own..."Equipment" isn't going to do that....DUH!!
Mar 2, 2010 at 6:55 a.m.
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Eman: You're right. Make them WALK to school, make them WALK home. Why are taxpayers responsible for making sure kids get exercise?
Mar 2, 2010 at 3:38 a.m.
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I think this is great news! Anything that gets kids moving and enjoying it at the same time will have big payoffs now and in the future. Bravo to the Delavan-Darien district for chasing down this grant. I also like the NFL push for kids to get a hour of physical activity each day.
Mar 2, 2010 at 12:23 a.m.
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Give me a twinky & a ps3 remote, I'll make em run!
Mar 1, 2010 at 10:30 p.m.
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There is a link between one’s health and their academic success – so this should only help, right?
This grant is not just for fun and games, it is also educational. It teaches students how to ‘improve or maintain their physical well-being, support a lifelong healthy lifestyle, develop social and cooperative skills, learn healthy eating habits and good nutrition’…….
While Delavan schools may have some academic areas that they need to focus on, does that mean they should not pursue a grant to help keep their students healthy?
Mar 1, 2010 at 10:13 p.m.
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A lack of equipment is a factor - Not the entire answer. Nutrition and lifestyle also are big factors in childhood obesity. I'm sure that the grant also helps with these issues as well.
Mar 1, 2010 at 7:44 p.m.
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I think most of the problem is that "work" has been scorned for decades by academia, and "work" is what keeps people fit...Now they think they can replace "work" with "equipment".......Idiots and morons everywhere you look.
Mar 1, 2010 at 7:31 p.m.
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Go to https://wlds.dpi.wi.gov/spr/districtrepo.... I think Delavan-Darien school district should be focusing there attention elsewhere. This is yet another huge waste of taxpayer dollars!
Mar 1, 2010 at 6:27 p.m.
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"Equipment" doesn't prevent kids/people from being fat and out of shape.....Give me a BREAK!!
Mar 1, 2010 at 6:01 p.m.
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I believe that the article tells us that the money is for equipment, not a teacher to tell them to "run". Without the newly purchased equipment, students had to wait for their turn to try different activities that require activity specific equipment. With budgets getting smaller, most physical education departments are purchasing PE equipment to replace damaged/broken equipment that help maintain current units being taught. That leaves little or no money for the development of new units or curriculum. This grant sounds like a great opportunity for the students in Delavan.
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