Thursday has been declared “K-6 Fitness Day” in Tucson, leasding the city's elementary school children to take on exercise regimens for their health. Mayor Jonathan Rothschild made the declaration.
Dozens of students at Carrillo Elementary School have already kicked off the initiative by showing Tucson Unified School District officials and staff from the mayor's office how they stay fit.
The first graders stood side by side and making circles with their arms and taking steps back and forth while listening to Zumba music.
Mia Morales, 11, and Lulu Maldonado, 10, are leading the Student Wellness Advocacy Team at Carrillo, 440 S. Main Ave.
“Fitness is really important because kids really need fitness to help their minds think and pump blood to their heads that way they can learn better,” Mia said.
The girls said there are many things kids can do to stay healthy.
“You you can ride your bike, ask your parents to take you for a walk, you can dance or you could dance or play different sports,” Lulu added.
Tucson Unified School District Superintendent John Pedicone said the district is committed to fitness and initiatives that remind parents, students, teachers and school officials how important it is to make time for physical activities every day.
“We want at least 60 minutes by policy and 20 minutes of structured recess,” Pedicone said. “What we care about is that kids understand how to exercise that they make it part of their lives and they don’t even think about it it’s a part of what they do every day of their lives,” he said.
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