Bascomb Students Fire Up Their Feet To Win Activity Challenge Award

Bascomb Elementary School in Towne Lake was one of 18 schools across metro Atlanta where students, families and staff recently participated in the Fire Up Your Feet Activity Challenge.

The schools competed to win money to support physical activity and wellness programs at their respective institutions.

A total of $6,000 was awarded to the winning schools, with the top prize of $,1500 going to Morrow Elementary School in Clayton County.

Along with Bascomb Elementary, the following metro Atlanta schools also received Challenge Awards:

• Alexsander Academy, Alpharetta;
• Briarlake Elementary, Decatur;
• Brown Elementary, Jonesboro;
• Burnette Elementary, Suwanee;
• Chestnut Charter Elementar, Dunwoody;
• Morrow Elementary School, Morrow;
• Roberts Elementary, Suwannee; and
• Taylor Road Middle School, Johns Creek

Fire Up Your Feet was launched in 2013 as part of Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools initiative and is aimed at increasing physical activity before, during and after school. Using an online activity tracker, participants log their physical activity over the course of a month.

Schools could win awards in several categories, including most overall participation, highest weekly activity tracking numbers, most bicycling, most walking, and more.

Since the launch of Fire Up Your Feet, Kaiser Permanente and Fire Up Your Feet have awarded more than $200,000 as of November 2014. This fall, schools in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia and Washington also took part in the Challenge.

Participating schools have found that getting regular physical activity is just one of the benefits of being involved in the Fire Up Your Feet Challenge. The Challenge also helps unite the school community together around the shared goal of healthy minds and bodies.

“Physical activity is so essential to supporting the health of students, families, schools and communities, and many of us just don’t get enough of it,” said Peggy Agron, national director for Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools. “That’s why we’re pleased to partner with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and others to bring Fire Up Your Feet to schools as a way to support healthier schools and healthier communities. It’s a fun and engaging way to involve parents, students, teachers and school staff in increasing physical activity before, during and after school.”

Challenge Awards help to support walking school bus programs, the purchase of bike racks, safety vests, incentives for Walking Wednesdays, traffic safety countermeasures to help promote more walking and biking, and much more. The enthusiasm among students, parents and teachers also shows how much demand there is for physical activity and school wellness.

The next Activity Challenge will take place April 13 through May 15 and is open to any K-8 public, private or charter school in metro Atlanta. Sign up at fireupyourfeet.org.

Photo credit: Kaiser Permanente