Elementary students mark ACES day with exercises

By KELLY FOSNESS, DMG Writer
SOUTH RANGE — South Range Elementary sixth-grader Mikayla Kyllonen was running a bit late for her social studies lesson Wednesday, but it was OK. She was in the hallway doing the chicken dance with her friends.

In recognition of ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously) day, more than 220 students and faculty at South Range Elementary spread out in the school entranceway to work up a sweat. Dropping by to help guide the program was Portage Health Community Outreach Coordinator Arnie Kinnunen, who took exercise requests from the students throughout the half-hour workout.

“The key with children is to make it fun and exciting so that they’ll want to come back for more,” he said prior to start time.

While Wednesday at 10 a.m. was the official time when students from more than 1,000 schools representing all 83 counties were to get moving, South Range Elementary set their own time for 2 p.m.

“We thought the weather would have cleared up a little better by then,” South Range Elementary Principal Kim Harris said.

Using his head-mounted microphone, Kinnunen led the group through a quick warm up and stretch, followed by some exercises. Jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, and even a few “Yooper moves.”

“Has anyone heard of the lawn mower,” he asked, before simulating the tug of the pull cord. Next up, the snow shoveler.

Karate moves and the chicken dance were among some of the students’ requests.

Chatter and laughter echoed from the floor to the ceiling as the students bounced around.

Tucked in the corner, near the art/science room was fourth-grader Kurt Halonen, who was lying on his back during a cool down stretch. When asked if he was tired out yet, he said between breaths, “sort of.”

Jumping jacks were Halonen’s favorite exercise, but the Yooper moves, they were something new.

“I hadn’t heard of the lawn mover or snow shoveler before,” he said.

Over at C-L-K Elementary, physical education teacher Steve Parks said they planned to take the approximately 700 students in kindergarten through fifth grade to the track at 10 a.m. to walk or run for about a half hour. But the weather didn’t hold out.

“We had to call it off,” he said. “It was foggy, rainy and cold.”

And, like South Range Elementary, which moved its program back to 2 p.m., Parks said he was hoping they could reschedule the program for another day.

The 14 students in grades kindergarten through sixth at Elm River Township School got moving at 10 a.m. Wednesday rain or shine.

“We’re going to do some general exercising and if the weather’s nice, we’ll go outside,” said lead teacher Mike Aubin early Wednesday morning. “We usually do some exercising, stretching, a little aerobics.”

Aubin said the ACES program is a great way to get kids moving, especially nowadays.

“With technology ... computers and Game Boys ... I don’t think kids get the exercise they need,” he said. “I think it’s a great program.”

According to a press release from the Lansing-based Michigan Fitness Foundation, more than 400,000 children in Michigan participate annually, setting the record nationally for the most active ACES state in the country.

Parks said what’s nice about the ACES program is that it’s non-competitive.

“It shows kids that there’s other ways to get exercise other than sports. Some kids love sports but then you have other kids who don’t care for sports,” he said. “It really teaches the kids that exercise is a part of a healthy life.”

For more information, visit www.michiganfitness.org/aces.



Kelly Fosness can be reached at kfosness@mininggazette.com