Apr. 26--Sunday marked the culmination of a Charlottesville Day School project that outdid even "I'm Just a Bill" of Schoolhouse Rock fame.
By virtue of House Joint Resolution 198, Sunday was Youth Fitness Day across the commonwealth of Virginia. The push for the special day began with fourth- and fifth-grade students at the school, which is affiliated with the Atlantic Coast Athletic Club.
"It was really exciting," said A.J. Cole, a student who helped think up the idea.
Her collaborator, Jeeyeon Ma, said the idea sprang from a desire to help people live healthier lives.
"It's not good for people to be obese, because it decreases your lifespan," Jeeyeon said.
To mark the day, the school hosted its third annual Family Fitness Fair at Panorama Farms in Earlysville.
The event featured races for parents and children, and a chance to hang out in the great outdoors on what, despite early fears of nasty weather, turned out to be a gorgeous day.
On hand were U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, and Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, who was one of two co-sponsors of the resolution.
"It was one of the best things I did all year," Toscano said.
He said that the biggest factors in childhood obesity are schools and parents. He also said Standards of Learning regulations need to be improved to put more emphasis on children's health. But even that isn't necessarily a job for Richmond, he said.
"It's really not legislative," he said. "It really has to do with how school boards address this issue."
Perriello also said that the way SOLs are implemented hurts children's fitness levels, though his criticism was broader than Toscano's. He said that sports leagues and better school nutrition are also paths to healthier students.
Dave Bruns, a parent at the school and its executive director, said the institution takes the importance of youth exercise seriously.
"Research has shown it's imperative for young learners from a physiological standpoint and getting in the right place to learn each day to get exercise," Bruns said.
According to studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 19.6 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds were obese in 2007-09. That was up from 6.5 percent for the period from 1976 to 1980. For the 12- to 18-year-old age bracket, the jump was from 5 percent to 18.1 percent.
The school also handed out two Youth Fitness Ambassador Awards, to Mark Lorenzoni and Sam Beale. Lorenzoni, co-owner of the Ragged Mountain Running Shop, is instrumental in much of the area's organized running activities. Beale, called "Dr. Baseball," has been a pitching coach for the University of Virginia and coaches at the Miller School, but was recognized for his work with youth baseball.
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