Schools
VIDEO: Shawn Johnson, Congressman Braley Talk PE with Ankeny Northview Students
The Olympic gymnast and medal winner admits she hated PE when she was in school and that Northview has the right idea by making it fun for students because the lessons will stick with them when they're older.
Olympic gymnast and gold medal winner Shawn Johnson and Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, of Waterloo, stopped by the Ankeny's Northview Middle School Monday to check out the school’s use of technology in physical education classes.
The duo didn’t hesitate to get in on the action, even participating in a game of kickball and lifting weights alongside students.
Johnson and Braley chose to visit because the school has been recognized by non-profit organization PE4Life as a “model site” for physical education.
Find out what's happening in Ankenyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Johnson and Braley teamed up in December to introduce the Shawn Johnson Fitness for Life Act, a piece of legislation that seeks to improve physical education programs in schools by emphasizing technology use in teaching.
The legislation would expand a physical education master’s degree program first develop by the University of Northern Iowa and would partner with local schools to incorporate more technology into PE classes.
Find out what's happening in Ankenyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.