Students at Pablo Elementary School compete in the Henkel Helps Kids Get Fit contest to win $25,000 to improve health and fitness education, equipment, technology, resources and services for its students and the community. Physical education teacher Darci Nice hopes to use a portion of the award to implement a Peaceful Playgrounds Recess Program which will encourage the student’s to be more physically active during recess. Of Pablo Elementary’s 261 students, 72 percent are American Indian, and according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control there is a high prevalence of diabetes in Montana and is hitting the American Indian population the hardest. The current third and fourth grade students have physical education every other week for the entire week, while the kindergarten through second graders only participate in PE classes every three weeks for the entire week.
If you would like to help Nice and the students at Pablo Elementary School visit www.henkelhelps.com to vote for Pablo Elementary, read her application essay and watch a her video.