More Than 1,400 Wisconsin Students at Nine Schools to Participate

The "What Moves U Challenge," a physical fitness program from the Green Bay Packers and the American Heart Association, gets under way this week at nine schools in Wisconsin.

More than 1,400 students in grades five through eight are set to engage in the six-week program that challenges them to get active and play for at least 60 minutes each day, with the activities able to be broken up and performed either in or out of school.

The students will track their daily totals on classroom scoreboards, and at the end of the program, the schools with the highest cumulative participation time per student will receive What Moves U basketballs, footballs, kick balls, soccer balls and volleyballs.

"We're looking forward to tracking the students' progress and hearing about their efforts," said Cathy Dworak, Packers manager of community outreach. "Physical activity has a positive effect on our overall health, and this program will help our youth develop good habits that show benefits now and in the future."

"Glacier Creek Middle School is very excited that we have been chosen as one of the nine schools in the state to participate in the "What Moves U Challenge" with the Green Bay Packers and American Heart Association," said Jon Smithback, physical education department coordinator/teacher at Glacier Creek Middle School in Cross Plains, Wis. "We have over 650 students that will be participating in various activities to keep them moving during and after school, which we believe is very important to maintaining their overall health."

Participating schools received teacher guides and student planners, as well as a DVD that included a program welcome and message of encouragement from Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk.

The Wisconsin schools participating are Christ Lutheran School, Big Bend; Glacier Creek, Cross Plains; Lake Holcombe Schools, Holcombe; Luxemburg-Casco, Casco; Palmyra-Eagle Middle School, Palmyra; St. Mary School, Luxemburg; St. Paul's Lutheran School, Grafton; Stockbridge Middle School, Stockbridge; and Zion Lutheran, Greenleaf.

More information on the "What Moves U Challenge" can be found online at www.packers.com/community/communityprograms/whatmovesuchallenge. The students' totals will be updated regularly as well.

The Packers and the American Heart Association last year initiated "What Moves U," a program offered to middle schools throughout Wisconsin designed to combat childhood obesity with the help of the state's teachers. More than 145 Wisconsin schools have participated in the program.

The program also supports the NFL’s Play 60 program, a youth health and fitness campaign focused on making the next generation of kids the most active and healthy by encouraging them to be active for at least 60 minutes a day.