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The Physical Education program at Stipes Elementary School has started a program to help its students become more fit. The students are competing against their entire grade level in an ongoing activity called Run Club. The students not only try to do their best, but they also help others get better as well. Often the person who is in first place will encourage one of his classmates to run with them.

From conversations with the students, the teachers find that the students feel a sense of achievement for what they have done in the Run Club.  They feel an even greater sense of accomplishment for helping someone else to improve.  I believe that the students will continue to exercise not only because of what they get out of Run Club but also because of the positive relationships they have established with other students in this program.

Run Club is conducted one day a week for ten minutes during the students’ regular P.E. classes. Students run or walk during the ten minutes and then record the number of laps they complete. Each student will receive a colorful pin for each level they achieve. Each level, with its corresponding reward pin, has a title and a significant meaning.  Students proudly wear the pins on their shoe strings so the school and community can see what they’ve accomplished.  The boy and the girl with the most laps in each grade level will be rewarded with a trophy at the end of the year.   This program has also helped with student attendance.  Students do not want to miss school on Run Club day and get behind in their lap count. They really strive to get to the next level to receive another pin.

Every staff member at Stipes has a list of the Run Club levels and understands how the students receive each kind of pin. By keeping the teachers informed as to the significance of the Run Club, we are able to involve the staff in encouraging the students to work hard. This program has immediate health benefits, as it addresses the problem of childhood obesity.  The students may also develop a positive attitude toward exercising that could continue into their adulthood.