School District to Host Community Health Event

There’s a growing problem for kids within the Moorpark Unified School District. According to statistics released by the district, last spring 41 percent of fifth graders could not pass the physical fitness test required by the state’s curriculum standards. About 32 percent of students in kindergarten through fifth grade were considered overweight and 16 percent were considered obese.

Physical education used to be an easy part of a school’s curriculum. Participate and you pass. But with an increased concern over childhood obesity in the district, that’s not the case anymore.

“It’s now a graduation requirement,” said Marilyn Green, the district’s director of grants and special projects, “so the kids take it more seriously, and we take it more seriously as well. By the time you reach the ninth grade, if you don’t pass the test, you take physical education until you can pass it.”

To further address this problem, the district has initiated the Let’s Move Moorpark! Project as part of their Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant. The project has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Why the increased focus on physical education?

“It’s always been an interest of ours,” said Green, “but PE didn’t have the resources to expand its programming before this grant. The grant allowed us to buy equipment, provide training for teachers, and purchase a curriculum called Game Day, which includes training, teacher resource materials and equipment—a comprehensive packet.”

According to Deonna Armijo, a Physical Education Project (PEP) teacher trainer, the grant has two goals in mind: improving physical education and providing education about healthy eating choices.

And thanks to some timely networking by Armijo and fellow project trainer Leslie Seifert De Los Santos, you can add a third goal:  community education.

That’s because Armijo and De Los Santos have scheduled Dr. Antronette Yancey, author of the book Instant Recess, to speak in Moorpark on Jan. 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. The event is titled “Battling Childhood Obesity: Get Kids Moving, Get Society Moving . . . One Organization at a Time.”

Yancey is a professor in the Department of Health Services at UCLA and co-director at the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity in the UCLA School of Public Health.

Armijo and De Los Santos met her at a speaking engagement in Los Angeles.

“Leslie and I had the opportunity to hear her speak at an event in Santa Monica,” said Armijo, “and afterward we had the opportunity to have lunch with her. I happened to mention that I would love for her to come out and help motivate our community and teachers, and she accepted my invitation.”

For Armijo, Yancey’s energy and approach to fitness is especially appealing.

“She’s very inspirational and motivational and very passionate about getting people to move again and make healthy choices,” said Armijo. “After I heard her speak, I was inspired to do something. If you don’t have 20-30 minutes every day, she will show you how to incorporate smaller amounts of exercise during the day.”

For Green, this is a rare chance for the Moorpark community to hear a very distinguished guest speaker address local health concerns.

“This is a unique opportunity, a nationally acclaimed speaker, and she’s coming to Moorpark,” she said. “She was intrigued by our little project.”

According to Green, having Yancey speak allows the district to move out of its typical school boundaries and provide community education.

“One of the reasons we’re doing this,” she said, “is that we really see it as a community-wide effort. We need to include the community as part of this process. I’m hopeful that those who attend will take some things back to work with them. I’m hopeful that our teachers feel supported, and that parents will do more with their families on nights and weekends. I’m hopeful that business will take some things back to work and get Moorpark moving.”

The event is open and free to the public. It will take place at the Moorpark High School Performing Arts Center, 4500 Tierra Rejada Road. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. A book signing will follow the event. Books will be available for purchase for $15. For questions or additional information, contact letsmovemoorpark@mrpk.org or call Deonna Armijo at 805-378-6307.