Fall is in the air. George Bienusa, physical education teacher, doesn’t mind the crisp bite of the air. Mornings at Clearview Elementary School are both chilly and bright as students walk 20 minutes outside every morning before school starts. They get a jump start on the day through their new grant program, “Morning Mile.”
Last year, Bienusa started a walking program because he and other staff have learned over the years that kids are a little rambunctious after they’ve been on the bus for a long ride in the morning. So, students are divided into shifts by grade to walk in the gym throughout the morning. It is a way to use their pent-up energy before class begins.
When Bienusa came across the Morning Mile program through Active Schools, it gave him an idea to expand on the walking program. He applied for the grant and received it.
The grant gives each school a starter kit including a stereo, chains and charms.
Bienusa mapped the distance around the ball fields to make a mile — six laps. Now students earn one popsicle stick per lap, so they can track their miles. He then enters the miles into a miles master computer program to track the school’s and each grade level’s progress.
“Kids earn a shoe [charm] for every five miles walked,” explains Bienusa. “Once they get 100 miles, they earn a ‘100’ charm.”
Ninety-five percent of Clearview students have already earned a shoe charm. The students are determined! A traveling Golden Shoe Award is at stake. There is one award for kindergarten through second grade and one for third through fifth grade.
Teachers are just as excited about the program. Some choose to walk with students while others use the quiet time for classroom prep.
“Teachers are saying that students are calmer, more focused and less antsy after they’ve walked in the morning,” says Bienusa.
The health benefits are a bonus to the students as well. Bienusa sees it as a way to fight obesity and have kids remain more active. Parents, at times, even join in on the morning walks.
Thus far, first through fifth-grade students have walked 2,759 miles. One student has walked 18 miles already.
“The kids are really buying into it,” says Bienusa. “They really look forward to it.”
Despite the cooler, darker mornings, Clearview students are starting their day on the bright side and are ready to learn.
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