Prince Charles PS is going for gold in active living

Caption: Physical activity is embedded into many facets of student life at Prince Charles PS

 

Prince Charles Public School has been working hard all year to attain Ophea gold certification in physical education. Ophea is an Ontario-based not-for-profit organization that champions healthy, active living in schools and communities through programs, partnerships, and advocacy.

Led by the vision that active living brings many lifelong benefits to students, teachers, parents, students, and community members at Prince Charles PS have all contributed to this effort. Through these contributions, they're realizing an environment at the school that promotes and values greater physical activity.

This goal arose to solve a problem. The staff of Prince Charles PS recognized in the 2015-2016 school year that many of its students avoided physical activity, and only 5 per cent played sports outside of school.

"As part of the School Improvement Plan for 2016-2017, teachers made it a priority to encourage more physically activity, and applying for Ophea gold certification gave us something to strive for," says Prince Charles PS Principal Darryl Casey. "We started with simple measures such as adding elements to our school yard that promote exercise, and encourage school trips that involve physical activity."

Staff have also volunteered countless hours to train students before, during, and after school in a variety of sports and physical activities throughout the year.

"We are proud to say that our students have responded positively, and they all look forward to class trips and activities that promote an active lifestyle," said Casey. "Physical activity is part of what makes up a healthy school."

Final

documentation for Ophea certification is due at the end of April,

and staff is confident the school will be 'golden' in active living.