Wheeler County Middle School Students Swing Into the New Year With Fitness
Courtesy of Wheeler County Schools
As classes are starting back after Christmas break, students at Wheeler County Middle School are taking part in the FitnessGram in their physical education class.
To promote health and wellness among students, Physical Education (PE) programs are increasingly turning to advanced tools like FitnessGram to assess and enhance fitness levels. The integration of Fitness-Gram into PE curriculums is proving to be a valuable step forward in cultivating a generation of healthier individuals.
FitnessGram, a comprehensive fitness assessment tool, goes beyond traditional fitness evaluations. It focuses on assessing various components of fitness, including cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. This holistic approach provides a more nuanced understanding of students' overall fitness levels, enabling educators to tailor their PE programs to meet individual needs.
One of the standout features of FitnessGram is its emphasis on the 'Health-Related Fitness Zones.' This categorization helps students understand where their fitness levels fall in relation to healthy standards, fostering a sense of selfawareness and motivating them to improve their physical well-being.
PE teachers find FitnessGram to be a valuable ally in promoting a positive and inclusive fitness culture. The tool allows for personalized goal-setting, encouraging students to actively engage in their fitness journey. By focusing on individual progress rather than comparisons, FitnessGram promotes a healthy mindset and a positive relationship with physical activity.
Coach Beasley says, “Our goal is to have students be physically active for a lifetime. They need to find activities/games/exercises that they enjoy doing and continue engaging in those from week to week to stay healthy.” In this particular class, students are participating in the PACER test, which assesses their cardiovascular endurance.
