JACKSON – Staff members at the Christa McAuliffe Middle School unveiled thousands of dollars worth of new fitness equipment on Oct. 29.
In 2018, staff members launched a campaign and rallied the community in a bid to win the equipment. Community members were asked to vote for the school online and they did. In the end, McAuliffe administrators were notified the school was one of four recipients of the Project Fit America award of $25,000 worth of fitness equipment and curriculum.
Principal Debra Phillips called it a tremendous day for McAuliffe and said, “The kids worked really hard, the school, the parents; voting was a month-long effort. To culminate it with the equipment, the professional development and the students’ use of the equipment has been wonderful for the motivation, stamina and interest of the students to become physically fit, and more aware for them to become physically fit.”
“There is a fireman’s pole the kids can climb. There is a vault where students jump over a bar, a step machine where they can build their heart rate, and a sit-up machine,” she said.
The school’s prize included indoor and outdoor fitness equipment.
Phillips praised the camaraderie of parents and students, and the motivation everyone showed as a community to achieve a goal.
“The pride we had in trying to succeed has been tremendous and I think it has been wonderful motivation for our students. It is something refreshing and exciting. I think the students, when they got interested and saw what it was about, they saw they could have fun and have fun being fit,” she said.
Jackson Superintendent of Schools Stephen Genco said this type of program allows the school district to supplement the budget.
“These are things we certainly could not afford, but in this day and age when we are trying to talk to children about making good choices and educating the whole child … things like this that could add fitness to their life have a profound impact for years,” Genco said.