Published: February 02, 2009 11:00 pm      

NE Middle School to receive $26,000 grant

The Lauderdale County School District recently announced that Northeast Middle School has been awarded a $26,000 Physical Education grant which is sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation to establish the Project Fit America youth fitness initiative statewide.  

The award comes less than a year after the school received $38,845 in grants from the same organization for a walking track on the north end of the campus.

A total of $1.5 million has been pledged to fully fund the development of sixty schools to serve as a state model and pilot for the Project Fit America program.

  Project Fit America is a non-profit, public charity dedicated to providing funding and program support to schools, grades K-8, to increase children’s fitness testing levels and teach lifetime health habits.  Project Fit America conducted a statewide grant program for site selection during the fall 2008 school semester to roll out this youth health initiative in schools for the fall 2009 program launch.

  The grant will provide to Northeast Middle School state-of-the-art outdoor fitness equipment, provision for its installation, indoor fitness equipment, two years of teacher training as well as new curriculum and lesson plan support materials.

  The new state-of-the-art fitness equipment and PE program will be ready for the next school year with a media event and opening day kick-off planned for fall 2009.