Published: October 05, 2006 11:40 pm            

Walking in Ashland

Health-minded students hoof it to school

Ashland — The three Rs were joined by a W last week in Ashland city schools.

As part of a health initiative, students from kindergarten to high school were urged to add walking to their reading, writing and arithmetic — walking to school, that is.

That explains why a portable CD player was blaring “These Boots Are Made For Walking” outside Hager Elementary in the morning while teachers handed out little paper shoe emblems for children to place on the school’s “Walk of Fame.”

It explained why Poage Elementary had a crazy sock day and a hats off to walking day, among others.

It explained why carloads of parents and children parked at churches several blocks away from school and hoofed it the rest of the way all week.

“We’ve got good participation at the elementary level and some participation at Verity and Blazer,” said Lisa Henson, district director of student services. “We’re pleased at the number of faculty and staff that participated as well.”

Charles Russell, for instance, had 59 walkers the first day and the number swelled to 80 the next day. Quite a few students brought their parents along, and some of them stayed for breakfast at school, Principal Steve Salyers said.

That extra time in the morning for parents and children to spend together is a good reason to continue walking after the week is up, Salyers said. “Maybe this is something we can build on.”

It also could help alleviate the traffic glut that plagues schools every day when cars descend to drop off and pick up children, he said.

The numbers went up at Poage, too, said first-grade teacher Cindy Cooper. The week started with about 22 walkers, but the daily total jumped to 50 the next day by foot and bike. That’s out of a total enrollment of about 180.

With Kentucky’s horrendous obesity statistics, a walking program is a good way to encourage children to keep fit, said Teresa Stevens, who arrived at Hager early in the week hand in hand with her daughters BreAnn, a kindergartner, and Alexis, a fifth-grader.

Her next stop was to be Verity, where her eldest daughter Brittany is a student. Being at an age where a set of wheels tops the wish list, Brittany was skeptical about the daily hike: “Walking is not probably the best way to get to school,” she said with a shrug.

Also at Hager, Mark McArty and sons Alex, second grade, and Wyatt, kindergarten, are regular walkers. “We try to do it every chance we get,” he said. Alex particularly likes his dad to walk him to school.

The Boyd County Cooperative Extension Service joined in, giving pedometers to students to encourage them to walk even more.

Some Ashland schools, like Hatcher, already have a majority of students who walk. Hatcher did healthy lifestyle promotions all week. Crabbe asked parents and grandparent to join in a daily walk around the park at lunch time.

        

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