Power Up for 30 is one way several schools in Cobb County are tackling the obesity problem facing Georgia’s youth. The message is clear. School children need to get moving.
Sope Creek Elementary in Marietta was one of the first schools to make Power Up for 30 a part of the school day. What makes this program work?
Power Up for 30 works by adding 30 minutes of physical activity before, during and after class. Physical activities begin once the first child arrives at school and continue throughout the school day. Once school starts at 7:50 each morning, students can spend 20 minutes doing cardio activities like Zumba classes in the gym, or running on the school track. Fourth and fifth graders also have the opportunity to spend 30 minutes in the gym before school participating in physical skill games.
Scott Crow, a fourth grade student at Sope Creek says he can’t wait to get to school. “I go straight to the gym when I get to school because I get to play basketball games like Gotcha. It’s one of my favorite times of the day!”
In a recent Georgia Shape newsletter, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, said Sope Creek Elementary is seeing real results, including better test scores and increased attention in class.
This is just one way Cobb schools are joining in the fight against childhood obesity. Cobb & Douglas Public Health, in partnership with Cobb 2020, encourage members of the community to contact their school administration to ask them to consider making Power Up for 30 a part of the school day.
For more information regarding Power Up for 30, contact www.gashape.org or contact Cobb & Douglas Public Health at www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.org.
Video: Power Up for 30 at Sope Creek Elementary http://georgiashape.org/story/power-30-sope-creek-elementary-school