ROCK SPRINGS – For several years, there has been a focus on keeping children active. On Tuesday, the Rock Springs City Council gave the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Physical Education Department a little help with this.
For the past three years the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Physical Education Department has been able to obtain a PEP Grant which was used to purchase 500 one-day passes to the Rock Springs Family Recreational Center and Civic Center. The passes were then given to PE teachers throughout the district and used as rewards for students while also encouraging students to stay active during the cold winter months.
In her request, SWCSD No. 1 representative Kim Fouts said one of our main goals as PE teachers is to encourage students to be physically active for sixty minutes everyday and to use the community as a main resource to accomplish this.
For the past three years, the grant would purchase 500 passes and the city of Rock Springs would match it giving the district a total of 1,000 of these one-day passes. On Tuesday night, Mayor Carl Demshar explained the school district was not able to secure the grant this year.
To make up the loss, Demshar said there is a request for the city to donate 1,000 of these passes to continue the program.
In her request Fouts said these passes will be used throughout the rest of the school year from the time the district receives them to December 2015. If there are passes left, Fouts said they will use them the following school year, starting back up in September of 2015, during the districts fitness unit.
“Together, we can work together and impact our students on the importance of physical activity,” Fouts said.
On Tuesday, Demshar agreed.
“I think it is a worth-while endeavor,” Demshar said. “Anytime I think you can help out of young people in the community and give them some incentives to excel and do better I think it’s worth our while.”
The council unanimously approved to give the district 1,000 passes to continue the incentive program.
