Belgreen students celebrate physical fitness achievements
By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
Belgreen Elementary Students held a Mardi Gras parade Friday afternoon to celebrate their achievement on the Physical Fitness Challenge.
The Physical Fitness Challenge is a required test for all elementary school children. The test has five events: curl up, mile run, shuttle run, pull ups and sit and reach, Susan Crittenden, PE teacher, said.
"For elementary school kids the mile run is actually a half mile because they are little," Crittenden said.
The Challenge is designed to get students excited about staying fit in order to have a healthy lifestyle.
"The children all did really well, and I am very proud of them," Crittenden said.
And, it was Mardi Gras to celebrate. The children dressed in masks and beads to line up in a parade through the campus. In addition to participating in the parade, a king and queen were selected for each class.
"The king and queen were selected by their participation, conduct, and their scores combined," Crittenden said.
The king and queens are as follows: kindergarten: Madison Stinson, Connie Terrell, Trey Mann, Taylor Welch. First grade: Megan King, Hanna Lewis, Abdiel Esobar, and Jacob Taylor. Third Grade: Taylor Bray, Shellie Barber, Blake Skidmore, and Cole Willingham.
Besides being a treat for their participation in the test, Crittenden said that another reason for the parade was to show the kids that exercise can be fun.
"We just walked around the school and it was still fun for the kids," Crittenden said.
In honor of the big Mardi Gras celebration, Crittenden made homemade King's Cake for the children. King's Cake is a pastry sold from Christmas through Mardi Gras. Traditionally, a trinket can be found in a King's Cake but Crittenden decided not to put a trinket because of safety.
"These a little kids, and I did not want them to eat the trinket by mistake," Crittenden said.
Because of this year's success, Crittenden hopes to make the Mardi Gras celebration an annual event for the children.
