MONROE - The Monroe school district received good news - practically million-dollar good news - Monday, Sept. 30 when officials learned it was awarded a Carol M. White PEP grant totaling more than $950,000 from the U.S. Department of Education.
"We are thrilled," Monroe School District Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner said. "We are focused on wellness and fitness and not just games. When you have a healthy lifestyle you do better in school. It's not only good for the district, but for the community. It builds the partnerships with the community. I think it will be great for all students and athletic programs."
The grant isn't finalized until the school board votes to approve it. If approved, the district stands to receive $953,555 over a three-year period, starting with $423,080 this school year, $268,702 in 2014-15 and $261,773 in 2015-16. PEP grants are awarded to districts across the country to bolster K-12 physical education programs and support physical fitness and teacher training and provide equipment.
A 20-member community-wide PEP grant committee worked for a year on setting up a vision for the grant; the effort was spearheaded by grant manager John Ditter, a physical education teacher at Monroe High School. Focused Fitness, a private company, wrote the 25-page narrative for Monroe's PEP grant.
"I give him (Ditter) a ton of credit," Hirsbrunner said. "He spent a lot of time researching other districts who received PEP grants."
In a presentation during the PEP grant planning last year, Ditter said the grant's focus is on developing students with lifelong fitness mindsets and having them learn skills to develop personal fitness plans.
Some of the wellness opportunities being considered are Zumba, biometric screening, power walking, strength and conditioning and fitness centers. Ditter said part of the grant budget includes purchasing moveable bands for tracking students' steps, iPads, iPods and updating cardio and fitness equipment.
If the grant is accepted, Monroe will need to provide 10 percent in matching funds the first year of the grant and 25 percent in matching funds each of the final two years. Another grant stipulation is the district must compile testing and physical fitness data.
Hirsbrunner said the district can consider a percentage of the salaries of Ditter and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dan Keyser for the matching funds.
"There is no additional money being used," Hirsbrunner said. "It's already things we are doing."
"We are thrilled," Monroe School District Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner said. "We are focused on wellness and fitness and not just games. When you have a healthy lifestyle you do better in school. It's not only good for the district, but for the community. It builds the partnerships with the community. I think it will be great for all students and athletic programs."
The grant isn't finalized until the school board votes to approve it. If approved, the district stands to receive $953,555 over a three-year period, starting with $423,080 this school year, $268,702 in 2014-15 and $261,773 in 2015-16. PEP grants are awarded to districts across the country to bolster K-12 physical education programs and support physical fitness and teacher training and provide equipment.
A 20-member community-wide PEP grant committee worked for a year on setting up a vision for the grant; the effort was spearheaded by grant manager John Ditter, a physical education teacher at Monroe High School. Focused Fitness, a private company, wrote the 25-page narrative for Monroe's PEP grant.
"I give him (Ditter) a ton of credit," Hirsbrunner said. "He spent a lot of time researching other districts who received PEP grants."
In a presentation during the PEP grant planning last year, Ditter said the grant's focus is on developing students with lifelong fitness mindsets and having them learn skills to develop personal fitness plans.
Some of the wellness opportunities being considered are Zumba, biometric screening, power walking, strength and conditioning and fitness centers. Ditter said part of the grant budget includes purchasing moveable bands for tracking students' steps, iPads, iPods and updating cardio and fitness equipment.
If the grant is accepted, Monroe will need to provide 10 percent in matching funds the first year of the grant and 25 percent in matching funds each of the final two years. Another grant stipulation is the district must compile testing and physical fitness data.
Hirsbrunner said the district can consider a percentage of the salaries of Ditter and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dan Keyser for the matching funds.
"There is no additional money being used," Hirsbrunner said. "It's already things we are doing."