Educators Receive $5K Grant for Fitness Program

Students at West Middle School will be introduced to the “Warrior Wake-Up” fitness program thanks to a Student Achievement Grant of $5,000 awarded by The NEA Foundation to kickstart the program.

In “Warrior Wake-Up,” students will work out and eat a healthy breakfasts three times a week. They will track their fitness progress by wearing heart monitors. The program aims to show students how exercise can improve brain funct, an in turn their academic performance.

Applicant David Hughes, a school social worker, and co-applicant Marc Deschene, a physical education teacher of West Middle School, received the funded grant after being selected by a team of 20 educators who chose to fund “Warrior Wake-Up” based on its potential for enhancing student achievement.

The NEA Foundation is a public charity that supports the success of students across the nation by assisting public school education workers in creating strong school systems. This foundation awards grant funding to public education professionals, offering $2,000 or $5,000 in grants. The two types of grants are Student Achievement Grants, which fund initiatives to improve academic achievement, and Learning and Leadership Grants, which fund educational professional development activities.

“Our support enables educators to engage in a wide variety of innovative approaches to the benefit of students across the country,” said Harriet Sanford, president and CEO of The NEA Foundation.

In addition to funding the “Warrior Wake-Up” fitness program, The NEA Foundation is awarding $177,000 in grants to 51 educators across 28 states. A total of 150 grants are awarded each year. Learn more about the grants on the foundation’s Grantee Archive.

More than $7.1 million in teaching grants has been invested by The NEA Foundation over the past decade. The work of almost 4,500 educators nationwide have received support to help students succeed.

The NEA Foundation awards grants to educators three times a year. The next education grant deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 15. Apply here.