This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Lace Elementary Staff Dashes Its Way to Fitness

The staff at Lace Elementary engages in a friendly fitness competition that concludes at the Darien Dash.

P.E. teacher Cami Nicol had been thinking of ideas to jump-start a staff exercise program. She wanted it to be simple—not too much of a time constraint—and something that would culminate in the completion of the 5K Darien Dash May 15 at .

Nicol devised a plan and with the help of  band teacher and administrative intern Joey Bonanotte recruited a total of 50 Lace personnel. 

The participants divided into eight teams made up of six or seven staffers that are engaged in a friendly competition, which began Jan. 28 and will end May 12, just before the Darien Dash.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Each member logs his or her time spent exercising and reports it to the team captain on a weekly basis. The team captain then tallies the total time for the team, and the group earns one point for every 30 minutes of exercise. 

The winning team will have accumulated the most points by the conclusion and will win the cost of their entry fees for the Darien Dash.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nicol is pleased with the participation level—along with the teaching staff, Principal Marty Casey, Superintendent Bob Carlo, several aides, a custodian and a bus driver have joined the program.

“The day the teams were [randomly] picked, there was a lot of enthusiasm,” Nicol said. She observed that three weeks into the contest, the enthusiasm still holds.

“Each week, the teams look forward to the unveiling of the point chart and team standings,” Nicol explained.

And has there been any good-natured banter among the competitors? Nicol responds with a “definitely.”

Activities completed so far include lifting weights, riding stationary bikes, running, walking and yoga. Some teammates have opted to work out together while others work on their own.

Bonanotte summed up the benefits: “This is a great way for our school to grow as a team and [it's] a wonderful model of healthy choices for students.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?