East Hancock Elementary Walking Trail
A walking trail was constructed in 2003 at an elementary
school in Kiln,
Public Health
Agency Roles
The Mississippi Department
of Health Cardiovascular Health Program worked with the elementary school to
promote a newly constructed walking trail.
The program supported beautification of the trail and identified means
to promote the trail with an emphasis on increased physical activity. To support increased physical activity, the
program purchased Take 10! health education kits for
each grade level (k-5). Take 10! is a health education program that allows teachers to
incorporate 10 minutes of physical activity into any curriculum. Program staff provided training to teachers
on how to implement and track program implementation. The agency’s Office of Science conducted
health surveys of the faculty and students.
Major Partners
Major partners included the Mississippi Department of Health (Office of Preventive Health and Office of Science); East Hancock Elementary – principal, physical activity instructor; local school board; parent-teacher association; education superintendent
Official Support
This effort was supported by the Mississippi Department of Health State Health Officer and the Education Superintendent.
Results from the
Environmental Change
Students have physical education 3 times a week and one day a week is their walking day. They spend 20 minutes on the trail and the physical education teacher records how far they walked which is added up. When a child reaches 10 miles they receive a reward and their name is displayed in the gymnasium.
The gifted teacher used the trail to teach her students about distance. The students walked a marathon over the course of a few weeks to grasp the concept of 26.2 miles is.
The younger students walk at recess while the older students are more competitive during physical education class. Teachers walk during lunch, for afternoon breaks, and after school.
Lights were added to the trail for public use after school hours and on weekends and fitness stations have been added to the trail.
Baseline body mass index
(BMI) indicators have been collected on both students and staff at East Hancock
Elementary. Follow-up is planned to
determine changes in BMI.
Submitted By
Tennille Howard
Director, Cardiovascular Health Program
Mississippi Department of Health
570
(601) 576-7781
(601) 576-7444 FAX