Education Minister Mildred Dover visited Englewood School today to present students with a provincial award for their exemplary participation in International Walk to School Day.
Of the 1900 schools across Canada that participated in the event, one school in each province was presented with an award for high levels of participation.
The event was coordinated by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation Division, and sponsored by the Go for Green organization which encourages Canadians to pursue healthy outdoor physical activities that support the environment.
Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen advised that the number of Prince Edward Island schools participating in the event doubled this year. “Walk to School Day is a really great event because it encourages students to walk or bike to school as one easy way to fit physical activity into their daily lives,” he said.
Minister Dover advised that earlier this month, Georgetown Elementary School received a prestigious national award for its quality daily physical education program, which offers physical education every day to all students in grades 1 to 8, to a minimum of at least 150 minutes per student per week. Less than one percent of 15,000 Canadian schools qualified for this Diamond Award presented by the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
“We hear a lot about the problems associated with physical inactivity among youth, and perhaps not enough about the really great things our schools are doing to increase activity, like Georgetown and Englewood,” said Minister Dover. “Through these initiatives, young Islanders are adopting healthy lifestyle habits that can last a lifetime. And they are learning that when they are active, they feel good, they are ready to learn, and they have more energy for family, friends, and life.”
The Departments of Education, Community and Cultural Affairs, and Health and Social Services are working collaboratively to develop a provincial Active Healthy School Communities Strategy that will encourage schools and communities to identify healthy living priorities, and work together to address them.