Students Participate in Innovative Physical Activity Program

Education, community, military leaders, and students gathered at Franklin Elementary School recently to highlight San Diego Unified School District’s (SDUSD) efforts to ensure students get enough physical activity during the school day. Students performed exercises from the IMPACT (Increasing Movement and Physical Activity in Class Time) program. Mission Readiness member Rear Admiral (Ret.) James Rodman led students in the workout.

Created by SDUSD Physical Education Coordinator Lynn Barnes-Wallace and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), IMPACT engages students in physical activity breaks during the school day. Each week, UCSD and high school student-athletes set up a series of exercise circuits for elementary students, which include jump ropes, hula-hoops, monkey bars, stretching and more. Each exercise is designed to be fun for the students, while getting them moving for at least 20 minutes twice a week. For many students, school is the only place for them to get the physical activity they need.

“IMPACT combines physical activity breaks with regular PE classes and daily recess, making it more likely that students get enough exercise during the school day to reap all of the physical and cognitive benefits,” Barnes-Wallace says. “The more exercise we can incorporate, the better.”