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Pablo Elementary makes it to phys ed finals for $25,000
To vote in the Henkel Helps Get Kids Fit contest, visit www.henkelhelps.com. Pablo Elementary School is one of 10 finalists for the $25,000 award.
PABLO – What would Darci Nice do with $25,000?
It might be easier to list what the Pablo Elementary physical education teacher wouldn’t do with it.
Nice was one of more than 2,000 teachers nationwide who wrote an essay on the subject for a contest sponsored by Henkel, the corporate name behind brands such as Right Guard antiperspirants and Dial soaps.
Henkel Helps Get Kids Fit is a program that will award $25,000 to one school to help it enhance health and fitness education for its students and community.
Pablo Elementary was named one of 10 finalists for the award, but from here on out it’s a popularity contest. Online voting – at www.henkelhelps.com – will determine who gets the money.
“I saw the contest advertised in one of the education magazines I get,” Nice says, “and thought it was worth a try.”
Because Pablo Elementary is a relatively small, rural school now up against finalists from schools in cities such as Memphis, Tenn.; the Bronx; and Tampa, Fla., Nice is hoping western Montanans will lend a hand by taking a moment to go online and vote.
Individuals can vote once a day for the school of their choice. The contest ends Dec. 12.
Nice’s budget for physical education is just $300 a year, which barely covers the cost of replacing worn-out equipment.
“I do what I can with what we have,” she wrote in her essay, “and I dream.”
Her dreams include everything from a concept called “Peaceful Playgrounds” that turn recesses into times filled with energetic games and activities that invite participation by all, to after-school cooking classes that focus on nutrition.
In her essay, Nice notes Montana’s twice-the-national-average incidence of diabetes, that 72 percent of Pablo’s 261 students are Indian and that diabetes hits Indian populations even harder.
“I think the ideal would be a cooking unit and class that focuses on healthy diets,” Nice says.
With $25,000, she could purchase equipment and incorporate lifelong sports such as tennis and golf into her P.E. curriculum ... build a community walking path with fitness stations along the way ... turn the playground into a colorful array of games and activities.
After Nice’s essay was selected ahead of more than 2,000 others, the school received a digital camera from Henkel to produce an online presentation for their cause.
So did the other finalists – Orchard Grove Elementary in Fredrick, Md.; Santa Cruz Elementary in Maricopa, Ariz.; Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater, Okla.; Spring Place Elementary in Chatsworth, Ga.; Washington Middle School in Meriden, Conn.; Freedom High School in Tampa, Fla.; P754X in the Bronx, N.Y.; East Aurora High School in St. Charles, Ill.; and Knight Road Elementary in Memphis, Tenn.
They all get to keep their cameras.
One of them will get $25,000, too.
Reporter Vince Devlin can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at vdevlin@missoulian.com.
Pablo Elementary makes it to phys ed finals for $25,000
To vote in the Henkel Helps Get Kids Fit contest, visit www.henkelhelps.com. Pablo Elementary School is one of 10 finalists for the $25,000 award.
PABLO – What would Darci Nice do with $25,000?
It might be easier to list what the Pablo Elementary physical education teacher wouldn’t do with it.
Nice was one of more than 2,000 teachers nationwide who wrote an essay on the subject for a contest sponsored by Henkel, the corporate name behind brands such as Right Guard antiperspirants and Dial soaps.
Henkel Helps Get Kids Fit is a program that will award $25,000 to one school to help it enhance health and fitness education for its students and community.
Pablo Elementary was named one of 10 finalists for the award, but from here on out it’s a popularity contest. Online voting – at www.henkelhelps.com – will determine who gets the money.
“I saw the contest advertised in one of the education magazines I get,” Nice says, “and thought it was worth a try.”
Because Pablo Elementary is a relatively small, rural school now up against finalists from schools in cities such as Memphis, Tenn.; the Bronx; and Tampa, Fla., Nice is hoping western Montanans will lend a hand by taking a moment to go online and vote.
Individuals can vote once a day for the school of their choice. The contest ends Dec. 12.
Nice’s budget for physical education is just $300 a year, which barely covers the cost of replacing worn-out equipment.
“I do what I can with what we have,” she wrote in her essay, “and I dream.”
Her dreams include everything from a concept called “Peaceful Playgrounds” that turn recesses into times filled with energetic games and activities that invite participation by all, to after-school cooking classes that focus on nutrition.
In her essay, Nice notes Montana’s twice-the-national-average incidence of diabetes, that 72 percent of Pablo’s 261 students are Indian and that diabetes hits Indian populations even harder.
“I think the ideal would be a cooking unit and class that focuses on healthy diets,” Nice says.
With $25,000, she could purchase equipment and incorporate lifelong sports such as tennis and golf into her P.E. curriculum ... build a community walking path with fitness stations along the way ... turn the playground into a colorful array of games and activities.
After Nice’s essay was selected ahead of more than 2,000 others, the school received a digital camera from Henkel to produce an online presentation for their cause.
So did the other finalists – Orchard Grove Elementary in Fredrick, Md.; Santa Cruz Elementary in Maricopa, Ariz.; Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater, Okla.; Spring Place Elementary in Chatsworth, Ga.; Washington Middle School in Meriden, Conn.; Freedom High School in Tampa, Fla.; P754X in the Bronx, N.Y.; East Aurora High School in St. Charles, Ill.; and Knight Road Elementary in Memphis, Tenn.
They all get to keep their cameras.
One of them will get $25,000, too.
Reporter Vince Devlin can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at vdevlin@missoulian.com.
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