BOKS Build Our Kids' Success

I know that a fit student is a healthy student is a student that's going to come in to school and learn and that's my number one goal here. So having a program that supports me in achieving that and, frankly, with minimal input on my level other than communicating about it, reinforcing the message and supporting in that way, is amazing. That's huge value added.

Everyone's absolutely excited by BOKS: parents are excited about it, kids are excited about it. I mean, the students love it and from what the teachers are telling me, it actually helps them. It helps their grades, it helps them in the classroom. It seems to have absolutely no negatives.

I saw the special needs students coming in and they were just as much part of the whole BOKS program as any of the others. If anything, I thought they would have been the ones to feel left out, but they were not, they were right in the middle of all this. There's something universal about the fitness and the exercise and the nutrition.

The kids have formed a camaraderie, so kids who were the child that sat on the sideline are now participating as part of the group, which is huge because it's heart-breaking to see these kids always on the out, and now they're part of the group and they formed like a friendship or camaraderie with the whole crew that comes in, in the morning. They have positive attitudes, they're willing to help, there's no competition, which is just amazing. It isn't like a gym class where you have to win a game. Instead, you're challenging yourself, and everybody's just really looking at themselves and nobody's being judged, which is just phenomenal. And this camaraderie has gone from the gym to the classroom... so it's more inclusive now. The kids who were always looking in are now on the inside. It's been - I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am!

I think kids have fun, it's set up as a fun program, they don't see it as doing exercises, they're able to do it with their colleagues and the teachers who are leading the program and the parents are very enthusiastic about it, and so I think kids see it as a very positive way, no matter what happens at home, they come to school and this is a way to begin their day three days a week. So, I think that has an effect on their attitude coming into the classroom, an effect on their outlook, actually, even on physical activity. They see it as something that's fun, as something they want to do.

First of all, many of our kids come here exhausted, and the first period of the day is when we usually do Language Arts and they're half-asleep. This program has gotten the kids in, gotten them thinking about their bodies, about making better choices in eating, and they are so revved up and full of energy, that they go into their classroom and they're ready to participate. They're listening, they're volunteering. It's huge! It is just absolutely huge!

For these kids to have this fitness program is just a wonderful opportunity, and to not have BOKS would be such a loss because it's not like this is replacing something - there was nothing there. So, to have this is just incredible for our kids.

We're a school that struggled for a long time with providing enough opportunities for our kids to have physical fitness. It's encouraging to see so many kids participate in it and love it. The teachers who are running it love it too. So, it's a win, it's a resource.

Yeah, I think having, in general, a program that supports the fitness of our children is huge and one that does it in a way that they're excited about the program, their families are excited about the program, the kids are excited about it: they're feeling better about themselves as people, as students.

I think the biggest benefit is the kids are coming in the morning, they're getting physical activity, which is waking them up and getting them invigorated for school, and teachers have felt that they come into the classroom ready to do work, which is great.

I know that the benefit is there. When I talk to teachers, they say, "Kids are more settled, kids are more focused when they come into school on the days where they are running, they're more available for learning".

I think the opportunity to be in a very social setting, a very fun setting with their peers, is great for socialization and having kids work together and there's team building. There are so many positive things that don't always happen as much during the day as we would like, so it's another opportunity for kids to really socialize and work together.

I think that BOKS is an awesome program and I'm really fortunate to have it. And I plan on maintaining the program for years to come.