PRIMROSE - Students at St. Nicholas School in Minersville learned about health and nutrition on Friday and had a lot of fun in the process.
The school held its annual Race for Education in and around St. Nicholas Hall, Primrose, with the students, parents and teachers spending most of the school day participating in physical activities to raise funds for the school. This was the first year the event with the added educational aspect was held on the parish grounds of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Minersville.
The learning and physical activities were led by parents and volunteers, with students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade divided by grade levels.
The two main organizers were Dr. Kim Hashin and Jenny Wagner, whose children attend the school. Sr. Thomas Hrynewich, SSMI, principal, and the Rev. Mark Fesniak, pastor, were enjoying the fun the children were having.
"We've been doing Race for Education for a number of years to raise money for the school," Hashin said. "Based on how many laps the children walk, people donate money, so they have to get sponsors. In past years we did it around the school, but we decided to do it here and have the children learn about nutrition, health and fitness."
Inside the hall, there were different "stations" that focused on various topics, such as nutrition bingo, a hand washing station to teach how to sanitize their hands properly, portion control and a station with a nurse to take the children's heart rate.
"The parents who have children in the school are here volunteering," Hashin said. "It's working out wonderful. We're getting positive feedback from everyone."
The event began at 8:30 a.m. and finished at 1:30 p.m.
The race was held outside, with students walking around the hall. With each lap, students were presented with a gold or blue wristband. Many students accumulated more than 10 wristbands. After walking for 45 minutes, students did some cool-down stretching and then went inside for pizza and nutritious snacks, water or milk, which was served by grandparents.
"We have an assembly on the amount of money raised, with the top prize winner getting a gift card from Wal-Mart," Hashin said. "Each race winner gets a trophy. Next year, we're thinking about designing a T-shirt that every child would get."
Wagner was keeping things organized at the various stations so everything moved smoothly.
"I have a health and fitness background, so I enjoyed helping to organize this," Wagner said. "The children get a chance to move around, so it's a mix between the movement and the learning about healthy eating and activities. We're trying to hit a lot of different topics on wellness today."
Fesniak moved from station to station and seemed to especially enjoy the area where the students were playing with hula hoops, pogo sticks and stilts. He even decided to get on a pair of stilts with the help of parent volunteer Traci Thomas.
"The Race for Education is one of our major fundraisers and turned into a health expo," he said. "It's important to teach them about healthy living."