Grant Proposal for Fredericksburg Elementary School

Increase Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behavior in our Students to Increase
Academic Performance, Health, and Attention

Background
At a population of about 1,000 First through Fifth grade students,
Fredericksburg Elementary School is unusual in that it has only one gym and
a small space for a playground. Because of the lack of space, students are
allowed very little time outside and in Physical Education classes. They need
a way to move and be active inside the school without distracting from
learning. Exercise balls not only let students be active, but they can be active
without distracting learning in the classroom.

Goals
One in three children in the United States is obese. The research is clear,
students spend so much time at school that we have a responsibility to
promote physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior. Students who
are given opportunities to be physically engaged within the school day have
increased long and short term memory and are able to stay focused on a
task, longer.

Utilizing exercise balls in lieu of traditional seating in the classrooms at FES

will improve academic success and increase physical activity in our students.
They will assist our students in staying focused by engaging both body and
brain to focus more intently on tasks in the classroom.

By increasing physical activity throughout the school we will also encourage

positive attitudes about healthy habits and exercise by making healthy
lifestyles exciting and fun. Because we are the only elementary school in our
community we have a responsibility to connect with and be leaders within
the community. This initiative will be met positively from community
members because of increasing attitudes outside of school towards healthy
lifestyles.
Current Programs
Fredericksburg Elementary School is diverse with a population of 54%
Hispanic and 46% White students grades First through Fifth. 63% of those
students are on Free and Reduced lunch. With a population of about 1,000
students, FES is unusual in that it serves an incredibly large population of
students. It is also the town of Fredericksburgs only public Elementary
School.

Each classroom uses regular plastic chairs for seating. The Special Education
department has a small number of alternative seating options reserved for
deserving students with IEPs.

Project Request
Reducing sedentary behaviors to less than 2 hours per day is important to
increasing physical activity and health. Students sit in the classroom at FES
for about four hours per day. Sitting on exercise balls and engaging the core
to balance would reduce sedentary behavior in all students.

Research shows a positive association between academic performance and

physical activity and physical fitness. Physical activity has a positive
influence on concentration and memory and on classroom behavior.

The Society of Behavioral Medicine recommends that elementary schools

provide children with the recommended 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity during school hours. While FES students do not participate
in this amount of activity during the day, the balls would significantly reduce
sedentary behavior.

The research is clear and proves that our students need to move. While our
school does not have the space, time, or teachers to facilitate more physical
activity, allowing our students to use exercise balls instead of chairs would
decrease sedentary behavior.

This program will impact each of the fifty general education classrooms on
the FES campus. Each teacher would receive three exercise balls to use as
they choose. The teacher can reserve the balls for students who struggle to a
significant degree to stay focused or they can rotate them evenly throughout
the classroom.

Exercise balls cost about $20 each. Each grade would receive thirty balls to
distribute throughout each classroom. The overall cost would be $6,000.

References

Buscemi, J., Bustamante, E., Davis, C., Fitzgibbon, M., Kong, A., Pate, R., &
Wilson, D. (2014). Society of Behavioral Medicine position statement:
elementary school-based physical activity supports academic
achievement. Transitional Behavioral Medicine, 4, 436-438. 10.1007/s13142-
014-0279-7

Castelli, D. M., Glowacki, E., Barcelona, J. M.,Calvert, H. G., & Hwang, J.

(2015). Active education: Growing evidence on physical activity and
academic performance. Retrieved
from http://activelivingresearch.org/ActiveEducationBrief

Strong, W. B., Malina, R. M., Blimkie, C. J., Daniels, S. R., Dishman, R. K.,
Gutin, B., ... & Rowland, T. (2005). Evidence based physical activity for
school-age youth. The Journal of pediatrics, 146(6), 732-737.
Chicago