El Tejon School in Lebec went neck and neck with Sacred Heart School of Fresno in a statewide challenge sponsored by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this year. Both schools had 100% of their students complete the Governor’s Challenge to be active 30 to 60 minutes a day, three days a week for four weeks.
El Tejon edged out Sacred Heart as the Central Valley regional award winner based on its administration’s support for physical activity and healthy eating on campus.
Outgoing El Tejon Principal Shelly Mason—who has become El Tejon Unified School District superintendent—said she is very proud of the work of Athletic Coordinator Charles Stewart for organizing the Physical Fitness Challenge activities. She also praised the "participation and perseverance of our teachers and especially our students who enabled us to meet this challenge." She also wrote, in an email:"We are now one of 11 schools statewide in the running for the $100,000 "grand prize" fitness center – I’m keeping my fingers crossed! "
Liberty High in Bakersfield, along with El Tejon Elementary, Sacred Heart and Frontier Elementary of Bakersfield are each on the Governor’s Council “Top 50 Schools” list, a compilation of the 31 schools that had 100% of their students complete the Governor’s Challenge plus 19 other schools that had 350 or more students complete the Governor’s Challenge.
The schools that made the Governor’s Council top 50 list will receive a banner recognizing their accomplishment. A total of 1,207 schools across the state participated in the 2007 competition. More than 69,000 California students participated—up from just 8,500 students last year.
Every student who completed the Governor’s Challenge in 2007 qualified for a Certificate of Completion signed by the Governor and an official award patch from the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting physical activity for all Californians with an emphasis on children and youth. Governor Schwarzenegger is the Honorary Chairman and Council members include Chairman Jake Steinfeld, Vice Chairman Peter Vidmar, and California sports legends such as Jerry Rice, Tony Hawk, Michelle Kwan, Julie Foudy, Lisa Fernandez and John Wooden. Sponsors include Applied Materials, Blue Cross of California Foundation, General Mills, Kaiser Permanente, 24 Hour Fitness and the Network for a Healthy California
For more information visit www.CalGovCouncil.org.
This is part of the July 06, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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