|
Posted: 10:20 PM May 29, 2009
Prichard Elementary "Fun Run" Celebrates 20 Years of Getting Kids Moving
The run started as a way to get children moving, two decades before most people started talking about the problem.
Reporter: Bill MurrayEmail Address: bill.murray@wsaz.com |
|
WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- West Virginia has one of the highest obesity rates in the country.
Children are not immune. In fact, at the middle school level roughly 25% are considered obese.
Today, we visited one school in Wayne County where community leaders saw this trend two decades ago. Now, twenty years later, they're still racing to fight childhood obesity and boost fitness levels.
Many of the students at Prichard Elementary are doing exactly what their parents did a generation ago.
"It wasn't making a lot of news then and people aren't as aware of it as it is today," Principal Bambie Cyrus said.
Cyrus remembers a bunch of teenagers getting together, worried about inactivity and the waistline of students that was starting to expand.
"It helps kids get healthier and improve their health and be better when you're older and it really helps," Fifth Grader Allisa Grant said.
That's how this fun run was born.
Children come in all shapes and sizes. But the goal here is a healthier child, regardless of size.
"In the last 20 years, the kids are getting bigger, they're getting lazier, they're not as healthy as they were 20 years ago; that's why we keep this tradition going," Cyrus said.
Kathy Valdez ran her first race as a fifth grader. Now she's a 30-year-old mother of two. Her son shattered her record of long ago Friday and finished in first place.
"I would like to see all kids everywhere get off the couch, get outside, have fun," Cyrus said.
"I think it's great for the kids you got them to exercise as part of their daily life," Kathy Valdez said. "I think it would be great, I'd love to be out here with my grandkids.
Running for their own cure with a race that hopefully will obliterate obesity.
Latest Comments
Children are a lot more obese these days than they were in my day and I think that the fun run that they hold at Prichard Elementary is a excellent way to show kids that exercising can be fun in a challenging way.
|
Popular Searches Powered by Local.com |
- Local Man Killed in West Virginia Turnpike Crash
- Slick Roadways Cause Accidents Throughout Kanawha County
- Police say Jail Escape Plan Foiled
- Sheriff: Search Turns Up Pills From Florida; Couple Arrested
- Charges Dropped Against Roane County Teacher Accused of Inappropriate Text Messages
- Huntington Utilizes Volunteer Police Officers
- Keeping Track of Sex Offenders in Your Community
- Another Aborted Takeoff at Yeager Airport; Runway Reopens
- The Judds Plan to Reunite for Concert Tour
- Three-Vehicle Crash on W.Va. Turnpike; Northbound Lanes Reopen
- DuPont Plant in Belle Remains on Safety Stand-down
102 Comments - Sheriff: Search Turns Up Pills From Florida; Couple Arrested
54 Comments - Local Man Killed in West Virginia Turnpike Crash
45 Comments - Another Aborted Takeoff at Yeager Airport; Runway Reopens
33 Comments - Charges Dropped Against Roane County Teacher Accused of Inappropriate Text Messages
28 Comments - Police say Jail Escape Plan Foiled
28 Comments
![]() |
Full 2010 Olympic coverage from the WSAZ Olympic Zone. |
![]() |
Healthy Connections Find a local health professional |
| Healthy Tri-State Tips to live a healthier lifestyle |
|
| WV Lottery Nightly drawings and numbers |
|
| SOMC Very good things are happening here |
|
![]() |
A collection of resources here to help Moms weather the daily storms that come along with parenting. |
| Big Sandy For all your furniture and appliance needs |



