If you were in Henry Puffer School’s gymnasium on Dec. 6, you could be forgiven for doing a double-take. Was that Bears offensive tackle Gabe Carimi leading a group of students in twirling hula hoops around their arms...and jumping rope...and weight training?
Indeed it was, as the school was chosen as one of 34 grand prize winners in the nationwide NFL PLAY 60’s Back to Football Friday contest, netting the school a $10,000 grant for health and fitness efforts and an ultimate gym class with a Bears player.
During an all-school assembly, Carimi presented a check to the school for $11,000. This included an additional $1,000 from Procter and Gamble in the name of Puffer-Hefty PTA President Suzy Schellbach, who was chosen as the school’s “Super Parent” for spearheading the application. Carimi then fielded some questions from students, including what he eats before and after games and how he would keep fit if he did not play professional sports.
After the assembly, a group of 50 students had the opportunity to participate in an ultimate gym class, rotating between stations such as jump-rope, football relays, and hula-hooping. As upbeat music played over the loudspeakers, Carimi rotated between stations, chatting with students, encouraging them and leading them in the activities. The ultimate gym class participants were randomly selected from among the participants in the school’s annual Jean Pogue Lung Run, during which the photos accompanying the grant application were taken. Children of the Puffer-Hefty PTA representatives who spearheaded the application also had the opportunity to participate.
To enter the NFL Play 60 contest, schools were asked to show their NFL team spirit at a Back to Football Friday celebration in September, submit photos from the event, and share why health and wellness is important at their school. Each of the schools selected as an NFL PLAY 60 Super School—one for each NFL team—receives a $10,000 health and wellness grant and an NFL team celebration that included the ultimate gym class.
Schellbach said she saw a flier about the contest in the PTO/PTA magazine at the beginning of the school year.
“I asked our PTA Vice President, Nancy Leonard, if we should try it, and we both said, ‘what do we have to lose?’” Schellbach said.
According to Puffer’s winning essay, written by PTA Secretary Agnes Hicks and PTA Lung Run Chair Jennifer Stephens, the school “has a long-standing tradition of supporting health and wellness. We believe healthy, physically fit students have a better chance for long-term success in the classroom and in life.”
Puffer chose to host its NFL celebration in conjunction with the school’s 24th annual Jean Pogue Lung Run, held in honor of a retired physical education teacher.
Students showed their Chicago Bears pride with spirit-wear -- which they donned again, along with facepaint, for the assembly -- and there was a sea of blue and orange as the nearly 200 participants lined up to begin their run. Puffer physical education teacher Jeanne Smith helped the children to stretch and warm up as some of their favorite music played. The children enjoyed healthy snacks – orange slices, yogurt, cheese sticks and juice -- after completing their run, and the event ended with an impromptu dance party.
In addition to the Lung Run, other extracurricular activities at Puffer that encourage healthy lifestyles include a walk/run hosted by the student council to benefit a health-related cause, and a Field Day organized by the P.E. teacher and PTA with outdoor games to promote fun and fitness.
“Health and wellness is very important to us at Puffer, and we were thrilled to learn that we were chosen to receive the grand prize. The grant will truly benefit our students, and we are very grateful to our PTA for organizing Puffer’s participation in this contest. They really did a great deal of work,” said Henry Puffer Principal Todd McDaniel.
When the news about the grand prize was shared during Puffer’s morning announcements October 18, cheers could be heard in the office from all around the school, McDaniel said.
The NFL PLAY 60 grant will be used to improve health and wellness for students at Henry Puffer. The school and PTA are weighing a number of options for use of the money at Puffer. In addition, part of the grant will be donated to a local non-profit organization that addresses the fight against childhood obesity, or to another health-related cause, to be determined by the Puffer student council.
Supporting this year’s Lung Run at Henry Puffer were PTA committee chair Jennifer Stephens; PTA President Suzy Schellbach; PTA Vice President Nancy Leonard; PTA Secretary Agnes Hicks; PTA Treasurer Kathy Kriz; Puffer Principal Todd McDaniel; Puffer P.E. teacher Jeanne Smith; building engineer Nancy Zambrano; Dewey and Lisa Kasko; Tammy Johnson, Amanda St. Clair, Katie Rodriguez, Kristen Scofield, Heather Schwertfeger, Tania Yackle, Julie Lyons, Joanne Vought, PTA Secretary Agnes Hicks; PTA Treasurer Kathy Kriz; and all the staff, students and parents who participated.
