More than 100 kindergartners at Elvira Elementary School moved to the groove of disco music as a large screen flashed dance moves from the 1970s and '80s.
Students from Challenger Middle School and physical education teacher Judy Gonzalez led the youngsters to Kool and the Gang's "Jungle Boogie" and "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc.
Six-year-old Aaliyah Linn was swinging her body from side to side, and she nodded when asked if she liked to exercise.
Five-year-old Devin Rodriguez said his dance partner is usually his baby sister.
The fun physical activity was part of a comprehensive effort to promote better nutrition and fitness for the Sunnyside district's kids and families.
"It's important to get your body moving. We need to stay active for our health," said DeAna Mendoza, 14, an eighth-grader at Challenger, 100 E. Elvira Road, which is east of Elvira Elementary and within walking distance.
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Mendoza is among 36 Challenger students helping their school earn points through nutrition- and fitness-outreach programs. The school earns points through the activities and, in turn, receives rewards.
Recent rewards Challenger received included an Xbox 360, and Kinect sports and fitness games.
The students' work is in conjunction with the University of Arizona Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition, and the Arizona Nutrition Network, said Jennifer Reeves of the UA College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Reeves is an associate research scientist in the nutritional sciences department.
For the past 10 years, more than $10 million has been pumped into nutrition and fitness programs in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
The funds help to train teachers to incorporate nutrition and exercise lessons, and to pay for exercise and video equipment so students can film their programs and successes.
Physical-education classes and after-school programs have incorporated in-line skating, rock-wall climbing, line dancing, Pilates yoga and step aerobics. There also is boxing, dance and Zumba fitness, mountain biking, skateboarding and Wii clubs for fitness.
Also, grants have been used to implement programs in the district's Family Resources and Wellness Centers at the schools. The centers provide medical and mental-health care, plus recreational and social services to families.
Nutrition and fitness programs have been funded through grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Education Department, Reeves said.
Sunnyside is among 15 school districts that will benefit from a recent $15.7 million grant to Pima County to control and prevent obesity, Reeves said.
She is developing nutrition and fitness training for teachers, staff members and students in the district. The same programs will be used in other local districts under the federal grant. The grant is part of a larger national $373 million economic-stimulus package awarded to 44 communities.
The Challenger students are among 200 in the Sunnyside district, including high school students, who are serving as health mentors and who recently received training at the Triangle Y Camp in Oracle.
Elvira Principal Tom Hubbard said he is pleased to see Challenger students working with Elvira students to help them stay active.
"Movement burns energy and allows kids to be more focused in the classroom," Hubbard said. "A healthy body leads to a healthy mind."
Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at 573-4104 or cduarte@azstarnet.com
