No junk food addicts here! Some students at South Junior High School are taking their health very seriously, thanks to physical education teacher, Kaitlyn Frenchick. In the Spring of 2018, Frenchick started Zero Hour, the time before first period of each day when students can come into the weight room and work out on ellipticals, treadmills, and stationary bikes or just run.
Similar to Clearview’s Morning Mile, Zero Hour is intended for students to release their pent up energy and focus their mindset for class.
“Zero Hour helps get the blood flow[ing] to the brain to help with memory, focus and retention,” explains Frenchick.
The idea came from her reading the book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.” Frenchick believed she could incorporate the concept of using exercise to promote academic health to her students at South.
Not only has she noticed a difference, but so have the students and their teachers.
Abdullahi Abdi comes in every morning and runs two miles on the treadmill.
“It gets me warmed up for other classes,” says Abdi. “It gets all my energy out.”
Kahliq Hall attends every morning to improve his stamina to do better on the Pacer test in phys. ed class; while Ali Jacobson likes to get in an extra workout in addition to the sports she plays.
All three agree that Fridays are the best. It’s their chance for free time and to earn their awards for the week.
This year, Zero Hour has gone a step further with the help of grant money from Local Education and Activities Foundation (LEAF) and South Walkathon money. Now the students wear heart monitors which communicate their heart rate and step to an exercise software program on Frenchick’s iPad.
The goal for each student is to reach the optimal peak heart rate of 65 percent. Once they’ve reached that goal, they can stop exercising or continue on.
The beauty of Zero Hour is not only the exercise, but also, the students have time to work on school work once they’ve completed their exercise. It gives them a chance to work one-on-one with Frenchick and get help if they need it.
“Teachers have said the kids have had a huge change in focus and attention in class,” says Frenchick.
As this school year comes to an end, Frenchick is looking at revamping Zero Hour for the third trimester. She wants to expand the program to other parts of the day as well. She’d really like to be able to add more bikes and treadmills, so students don’t have to do laps around the weight room waiting for their turn to use the exercise equipment.
For now, Frenchick greets her regulars and welcomes newcomers. She and her students see the rewards of the effort put into Zero Hour, and she is excited to watch it continue to grow.
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