Project Citizen: The Massive Truth
Alex Wade, Mckenna Winger, Jarod Delgado, Bryant Erickson, and Tristan Scott after their presentation. Photo by Brandon Edelmayer.
Group asks for mandatory PE class to help lower child obesity numbers at MHS.
Story by: Shaylee Severn and Branden Edelmayer
Alex Wade, Mckenna Winger, Jarod Delgado, Bryant Erickson, Tristan Scott gave their project citizen on obesity in children and teenagers. The group talked first about the dangers of obesity.
“The dangers include higher risk of heart disease and stroke, higher blood pressure, diabetes, and even some types of cancer,” Delgado said.
The group explained how 3 million children are obese per year, and they want to do something to lower this number. School systems only give children limited amount of physical activity a day.
The seniors of this project decided that it would be best to require a fitness test in P.E. classes.
“We believe that they need more physical exercise than the limited amount of time they are given per day. We think we will see an improvement in children’s health and overall focus in school,” Winger said.
In May 2013, Harvard Men’s health watch did research in physical activity and the brain. They discovered that exercise releases brain chemicals key to concentration, memory, and mental sharpness. By adding health classes children are not only avoiding obesity, but they are helping their brain.
Another group they targeted are high school students.
“One of the reasons we decided to do obesity is because It’s a big problem for teenagers,” Wade said
. The group proposed adding a mandatory P.E. class for graduation. The class will require each student to take a fitness test. To graduate, students will need to pass the test or make physical improvement depending on physical abilities.
To add this class, they would need approval from the superintendent, Dr. Thomas. The group showed that the majority of students are already taking P.E. classes, so schedules would not be severely altered.
“We felt really strongly about this topic because it could really change people’s lives just by making a small change to our P.E. Classes,” Scott said.
