With public school funding shrinking nationwide, school boards have been cutting “non-essential” classes to make ends meet. Often, the first to go has been physical education. The result: Our kids continue to battle obesity and diabetes, while discipline problems in the classroom remain a major hurdle to learning. In Mississippi, those problems are magnified by statistics showing the state to be uniquely challenged.
An increasing body of evidence now suggests that movement during the school day not only translates to healthier kids, it can actually improve classroom performance as well. The Bower Foundation decided to step up with funding to create a grassroots campaign called “Move to Learn,” and tapped Ramey to help develop and market the program to encourage movement in school.
Ramey and Bower traveled statewide to research the best ways to encourage schools to adopt this program. The answer — creating a library of five-minute fitness break videos that live online and are available for teachers to play at any time throughout the school day.
Ramey developed a series of original “Move to Learn” songs, and filmed exercise videos with real Mississippi school kids led by a particularly inspirational physical education instructor, Larry Calhoun.
The videos are being tested at select schools in the state, and are rapidly becoming a hit with teachers and students alike. Ramey has been delighted to partner with The Bower Foundation to help make a difference in the lives of so many children.
