MONROE - A physical education program grant from the U.S. Department of Education has helped the Monroe school district "to move light years" in just three years, according to Business Administrator Ron Olson.
The updates to P.E. and health curriculum, staff training and equipment would not have been possible without the grant, given the district's limited budget, Olson said in an email.
The $953,000, three-year Carol M. White PEP grant ended in 2016 and has already had a positive effect on student fitness, said John Ditter, the district's PEP grant manager and a physical education teacher at Monroe High School.
"We're making progress, just not as fast as I would like to see it," Ditter said, noting the multitude of ways society discourages healthy living and works against the schools' efforts. "We've got to really work as a village, I guess, to get kids on a healthier mindset and a healthier place."
He emphasized the importance of teaching proper nutrition and hydration in addition to fitness. With new salad bars, a new breakfast cart at the high school and displays of nutrition information at the middle and high schools, fruit and vegetable consumption is up 20 percent in the district, he said.
The grant required the district to compile testing and fitness data, which Ditter said has shown "a nice improvement" in students' aerobic fitness at all grade levels. Students' knowledge of nutrition has also improved.
When asked what the most important effect of the grant has been, Ditter identified two perspectives: For teachers, it helped them learn how to teach meaningful lessons and brought credibility to the P.E. program. For students, it brought new activities, equipment and more opportunities - for example, the high school's fitness center was expanded and is open after school for students.
"(The grant has) had a bigger effect than I even thought it would," he said. "A lot of people were involved, so that we attacked from a lot of different avenues, and it has just had a huge impact on kids."
Heart-rate monitors that can be worn like wristwatches throughout the day can even provide kids with reports to send to their doctors, such as when a student is on a new medication, Ditter said.
Not only has the grant enhanced programs in Monroe schools, it also enhanced public spaces and programs with community partners, whom Ditter wanted to "publicly thank." A Student Health Advisory committee made up of students, parents, community members and people from local businesses, gave input on what purchases to make. Community partners included the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department, the YMCA, Monroe Clinic and the Monroe Fire Department.
Here's a summary of the district's main uses for the grant, according to Olson:
• About $102,000 for staffing costs related to professional development and curriculum development.
• Almost $228,000 for contracted services, including curriculum, curriculum development and consultants who did the testing and evaluations required by the grant.
• Slightly more than $103,000 for smaller items such as fitness bands, pedometers, water bottles, promotional materials, gaga pits at schools, the YMCA and Parks and Recreation, health classroom materials and other P.E. supplies.
• About $491,500 for equipment: all new equipment and flooring for the middle and high school fitness rooms; new weights, equipment and flooring for the high school weight room; sound systems for all gyms across the district; iPads for P.E. staff; stationary bikes that power blenders for use in health and gym classes, as well as at events with district partners; ropes courses at the high school; heart rate monitors; spin bikes; Wi-Fi coverage for P.E. areas at the high school; and visual displays for nutrition and fitness announcements in cafeteria areas at the middle and high schools
Applying for another PEP grant seems unlikely in Monroe's immediate future. Olson said the district wouldn't be eligible again except as part of a consortium and that the grant program's federal funding is currently uncertain. But Ditter did leave the possibility open for applying to other grants if they would benefit the district.
The updates to P.E. and health curriculum, staff training and equipment would not have been possible without the grant, given the district's limited budget, Olson said in an email.
The $953,000, three-year Carol M. White PEP grant ended in 2016 and has already had a positive effect on student fitness, said John Ditter, the district's PEP grant manager and a physical education teacher at Monroe High School.
"We're making progress, just not as fast as I would like to see it," Ditter said, noting the multitude of ways society discourages healthy living and works against the schools' efforts. "We've got to really work as a village, I guess, to get kids on a healthier mindset and a healthier place."
He emphasized the importance of teaching proper nutrition and hydration in addition to fitness. With new salad bars, a new breakfast cart at the high school and displays of nutrition information at the middle and high schools, fruit and vegetable consumption is up 20 percent in the district, he said.
The grant required the district to compile testing and fitness data, which Ditter said has shown "a nice improvement" in students' aerobic fitness at all grade levels. Students' knowledge of nutrition has also improved.
When asked what the most important effect of the grant has been, Ditter identified two perspectives: For teachers, it helped them learn how to teach meaningful lessons and brought credibility to the P.E. program. For students, it brought new activities, equipment and more opportunities - for example, the high school's fitness center was expanded and is open after school for students.
"(The grant has) had a bigger effect than I even thought it would," he said. "A lot of people were involved, so that we attacked from a lot of different avenues, and it has just had a huge impact on kids."
Heart-rate monitors that can be worn like wristwatches throughout the day can even provide kids with reports to send to their doctors, such as when a student is on a new medication, Ditter said.
Not only has the grant enhanced programs in Monroe schools, it also enhanced public spaces and programs with community partners, whom Ditter wanted to "publicly thank." A Student Health Advisory committee made up of students, parents, community members and people from local businesses, gave input on what purchases to make. Community partners included the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department, the YMCA, Monroe Clinic and the Monroe Fire Department.
Here's a summary of the district's main uses for the grant, according to Olson:
• About $102,000 for staffing costs related to professional development and curriculum development.
• Almost $228,000 for contracted services, including curriculum, curriculum development and consultants who did the testing and evaluations required by the grant.
• Slightly more than $103,000 for smaller items such as fitness bands, pedometers, water bottles, promotional materials, gaga pits at schools, the YMCA and Parks and Recreation, health classroom materials and other P.E. supplies.
• About $491,500 for equipment: all new equipment and flooring for the middle and high school fitness rooms; new weights, equipment and flooring for the high school weight room; sound systems for all gyms across the district; iPads for P.E. staff; stationary bikes that power blenders for use in health and gym classes, as well as at events with district partners; ropes courses at the high school; heart rate monitors; spin bikes; Wi-Fi coverage for P.E. areas at the high school; and visual displays for nutrition and fitness announcements in cafeteria areas at the middle and high schools
Applying for another PEP grant seems unlikely in Monroe's immediate future. Olson said the district wouldn't be eligible again except as part of a consortium and that the grant program's federal funding is currently uncertain. But Ditter did leave the possibility open for applying to other grants if they would benefit the district.