Ms. Gutman, Art Teacher
Jackson Road Elementary School

A little bit of Mahatma Gandhi is alive and well in Silver Spring, Maryland — or at least his words: "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." Gandhi's quote inspired veteran art teacher Lisa Gutman to do something about a problem she was seeing among her students at Jackson Road Elementary School: poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity.

So Gutman made a bold move. Through a grant she received from the Verizon Foundation and the support of Principal Sally Macias, she developed a program called "Fit to Learn, Fit for Life." The program is designed to provide a safe, respectful and responsible environment where elementary school students can exercise, learn proper nutrition and acquire the skills necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle. The best part about it? It can easily be integrated into the school day as well as at home.

The program starts with morning fitness classes in the cafeteria before the school day begins. Either through DVDs or live guest teachers, such as local trainer and owner of Fiterrifix, Scott Sulkin, kids enjoy 20-minute exercise sessions, featuring hip-hop, yoga, and other kid-friendly routines. Teachers also get a DVD called "Energy Blasts" for quick exercise breaks in the classroom.

To teach students how to live healthier lives, a dietician from the Department of Food and Nutrition Services leads discussions about fitness and nutrition. And, because kids love "stuff," Gutman also offers students cool program T-shirts, which they wear with pride.

How are students responding to the program?

"They love it," says Gutman. "I've seen a real metamorphosis. Kids are becoming much more active. Suddenly, in my art class students are rushing to clean up so that they have time for a quick bit of hip-hop."

Even better, kids are beginning to understand there's more to hip-hop than just fun moves; they're starting to embrace the link between exercise and health.

"If you're fit," a first-grader recently told Gutman, "you could live to be 100 years old!"

More proof of the program's success comes in the form of paper stars filling up the walls in the school's hallways. On each star, students describe what they like best about their workouts — strong testimony to their newfound enjoyment of physical activity. Kids also created a "Fit to Learn, Fit for Life" cookbook to share with their families, featuring recipes supplied by a local author.

"We're also in the process of collecting written fitness goals from every student," says Gutman, "and helping them make plans to reach them."

Gutman's program is bolstered by the SUBWAY RANDOM ACTS OF FITNESS FOR KIDS™ program. Gutman enrolled Jackson Road in the SUBWAY® program early on, and now the school benefits from fitness kits for each classroom, including a fitness goals poster, tip-a-day fitness calendar, and reward certificates for free healthy kids' meals from SUBWAY®.

How does the future of fitness look at Jackson Road Elementary? Strong.

"These days," says Gutman, "the kids are the ones leading the charge for more fitness activities."

For example, the students decided amongst themselves to start a recess running club. As a result of their request, a P.E. teacher mapped out a quarter mile loop for them to run, and a local trainer arrived to head up their club. Could the next world-famous marathoner be among Jackson Road's fledgling runners?

To include families, Gutman is working with students from George Washington University's exercise science program to participate in a Family Fitness Night. Led by Professor Alex Dickman, the GW students are working with the kids to set up health and fitness stations for the families to engage in and creating take-home bags of fitness goodies to keep the momentum going.

Up next is a workout video contest, in which students will develop their own five-minute fitness routines. Gutman will then choose the best workouts and combine them into a video for everyone to use.

Fitness Gurus Billy Blanks and Denise Austin — watch out!

Here are some tips for increasing the fitness of your student body:

• Present exercise as a fun activity.
• Focus on kid-friendly exercises, such as hip-hop.
• Present quick activities that can be done at home, as well as at school.
• Give kids public recognition for accomplishing fitness goals.
• Educate parents and kids about good nutrition.
• Involve parents as much as possible.
• Encourage and empower kids to take fitness programs further.

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