Louise Archer Elementary School

Vienna, Virginia

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Categories	Use fundraising activities and rewards
Problem Overview	663 students, in northern Virginia near the District of Columbia 3 to 10 percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals
Program/Activity Description	Like principals all across the country, Dwayne Young wanted to reward those students who work hard, but may not be recognized by making high grades and honor roll lists. Like many others, he relied on pizza parties to reward deserving students. In fall 2002, several factors converged to completely change the “On a Roll” reward program at Louise Archer Elementary, an historically African American elementary school. First, Mr. Young became more aware of childhood overweight and its associated health concerns in his school and around the country. Second, at a national staff development conference, he heard a presentation on “walking for little children” and learned more about the connection between physical activity and academic achievement. He realized that he didn’t feel very energetic after the weekly pizza party—and that his students probably didn’t either! Mr. Young presented his observations to the Louise Archer staff and enlisted their support in developing a new recognition program. The school invested in bright yellow, kid-friendly pedometers that were distributed to teachers and other staff. Every Friday teachers select one student from each class for outstanding effort. Students are given a bright-yellow pedometer for the reward walk and can keep it for 1 week. Weather permitting, the recognized students meet the principal and take a 1-mile walk around the neighborhood. Photos of the walkers are posted. Teachers and other staff were quick to embrace the new “On a Roll” program by nominating deserving students and by “walking the talk” about fitness themselves. According to Principal Young, the program has been a genuine success, and no one misses the pizza parties! Students value the recognition and are proud to walk around the neighborhood with the principal. Mr. Young values his time with students and reports that they are often more willing to share personal stories while walking. As an added benefit, everyone returns to school energized for the afternoon, rather than ready for a nap after a heavy pizza lunch. This is truly a win-win program: worthy students get needed encouragement to work hard in school, and everybody actively learns about the benefits of physical fitness.
Program/Activity Outcome	Friday afternoon “reward walks” with the principal and pedometers replaced pizza parties as the school’s recognition program for hard-working students. Teachers and other staff received pedometers and were encouraged to develop personal walking programs with the goal of achieving 10,000 steps per day. Louise Archer administrators and educators have also focused attention on the importance of hydration for brain function. Children are encouraged to have water bottles throughout the school day, including in the classroom. Students look forward to walking, both with the principal and at other times of the school day. Some kids say that walking helps them focus better. Teachers have integrated pedometer-related activities into classroom lessons, such as math and health. Some classes also walk together for short periods before tests or other important activities. School staff logged over 8,000,000 cumulative steps during the 2002-2003 school year. For the first year, the costs of the walking/pedometer program were similar to the costs of pizza parties in previous years. The expected future costs will be less, since the initial investment in the pedometers has already been made.
Story Highlights	Keys to Success: Effective leadership: Time, commitment, and leadership by administrators and other staff Age-appropriate equipment: Fun, kid-oriented pedometers Environmental shifts: Creation of an environment in which physical activity, such as walking, is an honor Staff involvement: Staff collaborating to support the reward program and staff receiving support for their own fitness Future Plans: Continue recognizing student effort with a walking program next year Implement additional cross-curricular programs, linking physical activity to the classroom. One plan is to install an educational climbing wall, which includes lessons on geography, math, and other subjects
Words of Wisdom	"There are lots of simple things that we can do to improve our lives. Walking is one of the best. Our walking program is such an easy way to recognize and reward kids – and to provide health benefits at the same time. My goal is to find many ways of melding the science of learning with ongoing school programs. Walking around the school area helps our students’ brains and bodies. It also gets them outside and provides tactile, real-life experiences that are sometimes missing in our world of technology and television." — Dwayne Young, Principal
Program Contact	Dwayne Young

Page last reviewed: February 27, 2013
Page last updated: February 27, 2013
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