Health Rocks is Rocking!

Health Rocks is splashing and rocking again! A new session of Health Rocks has started this fall with 4th and 5th graders of Murphy Elementary School. Health Rocks is an after school program and is being sponsored by Teresa Wiley and Shannon Coleman with the NC Cooperative Extension Service. Health Rocks is a program that emphasizes nutrition and physical fitness. The Hiwassee Pool and Wellness Center is partnering with Health Rocks once again this semester. A group of approximately 24 students walks down to the wellness center on Mondays and Wednesdays after school. Once there they receive a brief nutrition lesson and a healthy snack featuring a food from the food guide pyramid and water. For this session the health rockers are fortunate to have Russell Mims instructing them in a kid’s boot camp. Russell, who also conducts adult boot camp classes at the wellness center has the kids running, doing push-ups and crunches. The Health Rockers have boot camp on Mondays and swim on Wednesdays. By the end of the 8-week program these kids are sure to improve their physical fitness levels. Several of the 5th graders are repeating the program from last fall. The extension service has provided this free after school program for 4th and 5th graders in the county since January of 2008. The Cherokee County elementary schools are currently rotated by the Extension Service with Health Rocks being offered to one school per semester. The Extension Service will send information home when Health Rocks is to be offered for your 4th or 5thgrader. Health Rocks is a fun way for kids to learn more about nutrition while improving their physical fitness level at the same time!

Photo left to right:
Brady Graves, Kendall Keating, Micah Nelson