FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Move To Learn: A Fun Way to Increase Physical Activity in
Classrooms and Students’ Homes
Campaign Continues on First Year’s Success
JACKSON, Miss. (January 7, 2013) – Move to Learn, a statewide movement
with the goal of increasing physical activity in Mississippi kids, is returning for its
second year with the addition of new fitness videos and coordinating healthy
lesson plans.
Launched at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, Move to Learn is based
on several academic studies that show a positive correlation between increased
fitness and increased test scores, fewer absences and fewer disciplinary
incidents in schools, across all socioeconomic and demographic levels.
“The response to Move to Learn in its first year was an overwhelming success
with over 35,000 website visits and 29,000 fitness video views from all across
Mississippi,” said Anne Travis, CEO of The Bower Foundation, which cosponsors the initiative with the Mississippi Department of Education.
Through online fitness videos, Move to Learn helps form healthy behavior, which
in turn improves classroom behavior and grades. Healthy children are also smart
and happy children.
“This movement was created to promote healthy habits in Mississippi children,
which also builds a healthy future for our state,” continued Travis. “Healthier
children lead to a smarter, stronger and more educated workforce. This is a winwin for the state of Mississippi.”
Move To Learn
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While schools across the state have been using Move to Learn, this program can
also be used at home. The Move to Learn website (movetolearnms.org), offers a
series of online exercise videos that parents and teachers can use at no cost.
“Children can mirror the action they are doing in schools right in their own homes,
creating faster, higher quality results,” said Scott Clements, Director of the
Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Healthy Schools. “If you’re doing
homework or studying for a test, taking a short burst break with a Move to Learn
video can refocus your energy back to the task at hand.”
The new fitness videos created for 2013 also support students’ learning.
“By introducing math, shapes, figurative language and time, the Move to Learn
videos are supporting a student’s knowledge in a fun, interactive way,” said Scott
Clements.
Move to Learn provides videos and lesson plans that incorporate physical fitness
into the classroom. The campaign’s website, movetolearnms.org, features
several five-minute exercise videos led by Larry Calhoun, an enthusiastic and
committed fitness instructor in the Clinton Public School District. Additionally, the
website offers a full database of lesson plans that focus both on exercise and
healthy living. Move to Learn is made possible through a partnership between the
Mississippi Department of Education and The Bower Foundation.
Founded in 1996, The Bower Foundation is focused on the development of
strategies to improve the health of Mississippians. As a funder of important
projects and initiatives throughout the state, Bower has made the development of
healthy lifestyles for Mississippi children a core priority.
The Mississippi Department of Education Office of Healthy Schools (OHS) offers
a system of coordinated school health services to Mississippi’s 156 school
districts to assist them in developing organizations that make the connection
between good student health and high academic achievement.
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For More Information:
Jana Brady
The Ramey Agency
jbrady@tra.net
601-898-8970
Move To Learn
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