The "Play 60 Challenge," a physical fitness program from the Green Bay Packers, American Heart Association, Bellin Health and WPS Health Insurance, gets under way Feb. 6 at 10 schools in Wisconsin.
More than 2,800 students in grades five through eight are using this week to prepare for the event, a 28-day 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 school with the highest cumulative participation time per student will receive a trip to Lambeau Field, including a stadium tour, Packers Hall of Fame passes, a chance to meet a Packers player and a $700 gift certificate from U.S. Games. The schools that place second, third, and fourth will receive U.S. Game gift certificates of $600, $500, and $400, respectively, which can be redeemed for gym equipment.
"Good physical activity habits developed by these students will serve them well throughout their lives," said Cathy Dworak, Packers manager of community outreach & player/alumni relations. "This program offers a fun way to track their progress and enjoy some friendly competition with other schools. We are looking forward to hearing from them over the next six weeks."
Participating schools received teacher guides and student planners, as well as a Play 60 Challenge drawstring backpack.
The Wisconsin schools participating are Bay View Middle School, Green Bay; Clinton Middle School, Clinton; Colby Middle School, Colby; Dodgeland Middle School, Juneau; Durand Jr. High, Durand; Lineville Intermediate School, Green Bay; Peshtigo Middle School, Peshtigo; Urban Middle School, Sheboygan; Valders Middle School, Valders; Wrightstown Middle School, Wrightstown.
More information on the "Play 60 Challenge" can be found online at http://www.packers.com/community/community-programs/play-60-challenge.html. The students' totals will be updated regularly as well.
The program 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. More than 165 Wisconsin schools have participated in Play 60 programs since 2007.
