Taking a progressive step in its physical education program, the Sachem Central School District recently implemented a new fitness room at Sachem High School North.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Thursday evening to unveil the room, made possible by the federally funded Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant. Sachem East is scheduled to unveil a similar room in November.
Students, staff members, coaches and administrators were on-hand to test equipment and view the state of the art facility, complete with more than a dozen exercise bikes, exercise pads, weights, and a visual screen to aid in the complete virtual bike riding experience. The walls are also painted with a red, black and gold band for Sachem’s proud and historic colors.
“This grant allows the Sachem School District to have one of the most comprehensive and state of the art physical education programs in the state,” said Pete Blieberg, Sachem’s Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics. “There is immense pride for the guys who have done the work here. You can buy equipment, you could put a coat of paint on the wall, but it’s the little details that made this place look like it does today. It’s as good as any gym on the island and its duplicated at East and North.”
Sachem was awarded a $1.5 million PEP federal fitness grant in September 2011 and was one of 76 school districts in the United States to be awarded money totaling more than $35 million. The grant requires regular reporting to the Federal Government for accounting and programmatic implementation in order to sustain funding through the conclusion of the funding cycle in 2014.
“The Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant is a highly competitive Federally Funded initiative that is open to school districts and community based organizations across the country to fund innovative programs that support students in their endeavors towards living a healthy lifestyle,” said Stephanie Macintosh, Sachem’s Administrator for Federal Funds, Research and Development.
Sachem’s fundamental goal is the acquisition of curriculum focusing on healthy eating, nutrition education, fitness and improving physical activity behaviors. Initial curriculum will be purchased in year one for health and physical education, as well as the after-school and social/emotional development programs.
Components of the PEP Grant include fitness and nutrition education and assessment, development of, and instruction in, cognitive and motor concepts. In years two and three, the addition of a primary elementary literacy and fitness program will be piloted and implemented.
“It’s a great opportunity for the Sachem community to continue to move forward in regards to technology and fitness,” said Dave Falco, a physical education teacher at Sachem North in charge of equipment acquisition and management for the PEP Grant, as well as the head football coach at the school.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, funding is intended to assist with initiating, expanding, or enhancing physical education and nutrition education programs, including after-school programs, for students in kindergarten through 12th grades.
“As a result of these grants, schools will have additional resources to help students become healthier and more active,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement.
Grant recipients must implement programs that help students make progress toward meeting their state standards for physical education. In addition, these programs must undertake 1) instruction in healthy eating habits and good nutrition, and 2) physical fitness activities that include at least one of the following:
- fitness education and assessment to help students understand, improve, or maintain their physical well-being;
- instruction in a variety of motor skills and physical activities designed to enhance the physical, mental, and social or emotional development of every student;
- development of and instruction in cognitive concepts about motor skills and physical fitness that support a lifelong healthy lifestyle;
- opportunities to develop positive social and cooperative skills through physical activity participation and
- opportunities for professional development for physical education teachers to stay abreast of the latest research, issues, and trends in the field of physical education.
RELATED: PHOTOS: Click to see more images from Sachem North’s fitness room
-Words and Photos by Chris R. Vaccaro