Story and slideshow by Crystal Hayduk
Chelsea School District joined in celebrating two national events on the same day – Bike to School Day and ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously) on May 6.
The goal of both events is to encourage healthy habits by making exercise and physical fitness a regular part of everyone’s lives.
Lana Ching, secretary at North Creek Elementary School, said that Bike to School Day is popular among the children, who in most cases require the support of their parents due to their young age, distance from home, and after-school plans. Since Chelsea School District covers a large area, participating children who live in outlying areas were given rides into the city to bike from a central location.
Continuing the early morning’s emphasis on health, nearly 500 students and teachers converged on the playground at 10 a.m. for ACES. Principal Marcus Kaemming said that second grade students were assigned to jump rope for the 20 minute exercise time, while the kindergarten and first grade students walked or ran laps around the playground perimeter.
South Meadows Elementary students are delaying their ACES day until June 3 because they were occupied with M-Step testing, a required state assessment.
Stacie Battaglia, principal of South Meadows, has made school-wide ACES participation a priority. “Any time you can get children to exercise and enjoy themselves while doing so is a benefit,” she said.
The South Meadows event will include safety education, with participation by members of the police and fire departments. Rick Eder of Farm Bureau Insurance is sponsoring the event and has made a donation to the physical education program.
For more information about Bike to School click here or about ACES at the national level, click here.
