2016 Education

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Page 16 2016 EDUCATION MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY March 1, 2016
the teachers for grading. This
limits the use of paper and has
been very positive as well.
Summing up the success of
the PLI, Newton proclaimed,
“Information is just so readily
available that it made sense to
get it to the kids. I really think
that the Mount Pulaski District
was one of the first to go all the
way, K thru 12. Every student
has an iPad.” In addition to
having the iPads at school,
students can take the iPad home
as long as the insurance fee has
been paid. If they do not want
to pay the fee, then the iPad
stays at school and is charged
overnight at school, says
Newton.
Staying active and healthy in
the computer age
Moving on to CATCH, Fricke
explained what the program that
emphasizes a healthy and active
lifestyle stands for: Coordinated
Approach to Childhood Health
- CATCH. “We are partnered
with Logan County Healthy
Communities Partnership and
Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital. They provide support
and bring in people that teach
the students about eating right
and being active.” Fricke was
pleased to announce, “They have
given us about $7,000 worth of
PE equipment and the students
are learning all kinds of new
games and activities that they
do in PE from basketball to hula
hooping.”
CATCH is also about educating
the students on healthy eating.
Fricke shared the importance of
learning good eating habits at a
young age and also emphasized
other key factors. “We also
give out information to parents
on eating right at home, getting
enough sleep and being active
instead of being on the video
games.”
Fricke continued, “We are also
giving out little cards to the kids
when we see them being active.
When they have a choice to sit
and do nothing as opposed to
being active, they get a little
card for being active. We also
do that for lunch. So if we see
them eating all the healthy parts
of their lunch or if we see that
they are bringing in apples now
instead of a Snickers bar, we
give them a little card.
Fricke said, “Then we are doing
drawings and they get to put all
their cards in a bucket.” The
prizes that are awarded will keep
the students active, like baseball
bats and frisbees, said Fricke.
She added, “We are just trying
to encourage them to get off the
couch and be healthy.”
This goes for the teachers, too.
Every teacher has also set a goal
for themselves, in addition to
group projects in their classroom
to benefit the entire class. Mrs.
Fricke mentioned her goal is
to go to spin class three days a
week and drink six glasses of
water a day.
A billboard in the cafeteria also
features posters identifying
different foods that the students
can see and learn from daily.
According to Fricke, there are
three types of foods listed on the
posters: Go Foods, Slow Foods
and Whoa Foods.
Students at MPGS run during PE class. The students are
active constantly during their PE class as part of the CATCH
program.
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