The Tamaqua Area School District will continue its participation in a Department of Health program aimed at keeping students healthy now - and throughout their lives.

The district was one of three in Pennsylvania selected for the 2021-22 School Wellness Grant program through the department and its Bureau of Health Promotion and Risk Reduction, and Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity.

The program’s goal is to improve health and physical education curricula, and thus, fight the national epidemic of childhood obesity.

And already, James McCabe, a district health and physical educator, said students are appreciating exercise on their own time - not just in school or extracurricular sports settings.

“This is designed to work in kindergarten to 12th grade and create a scope and sequence of health-related fitness, functional fitness and lifetime activities on top of your traditional activities,” he explained.

The department of health notes that about one in four youths across America are overweight or obese, and in Pennsylvania, the number is one in three. The numbers were higher in the Tamaqua district during the 2018-19 school year, when 28.5% of students were in the obese range.

Based on the numbers, McCabe said the department reached out to the district.

Soon after, Tamaqua began working with the department and Slippery Rock University to create a program that teaches the students aspects of physical, mental and social health through physical education and health, he explained.

“We don’t want to base a student’s success (grade) on his or her athletic ability but his or her ability to learn the concepts and improve upon them through practice,” McCabe noted.

Developing healthy habits while still in school is important, since adults with obesity have a greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and asthma.

The district is participating in its second year of the program. Through it, staffers are learning how to generate interest in exercise outside the classroom setting - and not just for students, but for staff and the community.

“We currently have multiple faculty members that are participating in exercise before school starting at 6 a.m.,” McCabe said. In addition, a group of 30-plus students voluntarily visit the school to swim, run or lift under the guidance of faculty volunteers.

“We have community members that have expressed interest in moving forward with opportunities for the community such as mountain biking, running, walking, tennis, etc.,” McCabe added.

Other program aspects include utilizing the district’s nutritional services to help provide nutritional information outside of the school day, farm-to-school programs and physical activity in the classroom.