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A team of teachers and administrators from the Pella Community School District recently attended workshops in Rogers, Arkansas, and Grundy Center, Iowa as an introduction to the PE4life program. The program promotes physical fitness and education for students in an effort to combat childhood obesity. Three buildings in the Pella Community School District will receive funds for their programs, and Elementary Physical Educator Tracey Murphy says she’s looking forward to what PE4life will do for Pella’s students.

“We have a great curriculum already. It’s a great variety of fitness, sport and leisure, and advanenture activities, but being able to do more is better,” says Murphy. “I think it will really motivate our students, and get them excited about physical activity.”

Pella’s Lincoln, Madison and Jefferson Elementary Schools all received $10,000 grants for the program, with Jefferson receiving an additional $25,000 to be a study site. Murphy adds that Iowa’s involvement in the program will benefit students across the state.

“Currently physical education has national standards, but the state of Iowa does not have specific state standards,” says Murphy. “I think with this PE4life program, it enables the entire state to basically have a nice set of principles to build their programs upon.”

Only four schools in the state were selected as model schools for the program, which will begin implementation in the fall of 2010. For more, tune in for today’s Let’s Talk Pella Program, coming up at 12:50.

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