For Immediate Release
Contact: Nicole Kranzler, 773-3426

President’s Challenge Announces State Champion Schools

PIERRE - Three South Dakota schools have been named “State Champions” by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), Secretary of Education Rick Melmer announced today.

            The schools receiving the distinction are Calvary Christian School, Rapid City; Jefferson Elementary School, Watertown; and John Harris Elementary School, Sioux Falls. Both Jefferson Elementary and John Harris Elementary were State Champions last year.

            The State Champion award is presented annually to the three schools in each state with the highest number of students scoring at or above the 85^th percentile on the President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program. Schools are selected based on total enrollment.

            The Challenge uses five assessments to measure four physical fitness components: a one-mile run/walk for heart and lung endurance; curl-ups for abdominal strength and endurance; a “sit and reach” stretch for muscular flexibility; pull-ups for upper body strength and endurance; and a shuttle run for agility. Fitness instructors are encouraged to design units that help youth gradually improve their fitness levels to meet those outlined by the Challenge.

           The Challenge, available to U.S. schools since 1958, offers presidential recognition and awards for fitness to all participating youth. The program recognizes a range of fitness levels, thus demonstrating that everyone is a winner in fitness.

            The PCPFS is an advisory body to the President and the Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services on matters involving physical activity and fitness and sports participation. To enhance PCPFS’s ability to impact the physical health of Americans, www.presidentschallenge.org has been created. Through the website, people can track their activity and earn Presidential recognition.

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