Students accept challenge for Survival of the Fittest

Lauren Lytle, right, looks on as Derica Carter takes a seat in the dunking booth at the Survival of the Fittest program reward day at Warren County Middle School. The program encouraged students and staff to develop more healthy lifestyles.

?Survival of the Fittest was where our students and staff were challenged to be more healthy, to pick up healthy behaviors,? said Coordinated School Health nurse Amy Fults. ?The first week we did eat a healthy breakfast. The second was drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Another was get eight hours of sleep. Students formed teams, then each week the team that participated the best was rewarded.?

However, there wasn?t enough rewards for everyone, so the program organizers decided to have a Survival of the Fittest rewards day for the whole group, which included colorful inflatable slides and other attractions. A dunking pool, manned by students, was available for those who wanted to have some fun getting their classmates wet.

Over 350 students participated from all grades at the middle school. About 20 of the staff also participated, providing a good example for the students.

Fults said this type of program is a good way to introduce students to healthy lifestyles and encourage them to improve their fitness and overall health.

?Coordinated School Health personnel and nurses feel that healthy children make better learners,? Fults said, ?and we are trying to promote more healthy behaviors in our students.