A glittering red ribbon stretched across the pathway of the GE Trails, Saturday February 5, waiting for its celebratory snip as Elm Street Elementary held the grand opening of their Aspire After School Program’s Fit to Read Trail.
“This is a really exciting day for us,” Principal Laura Walley told attendees as they gathered on the lawn at the mouth of the trail. Our after school students and their teachers have worked really hard. It started with a vision from our Media Specialist Melanie Arrington, and when she has a vision, it happens!”
The vision was a storybook trail; a project that would promote both literacy and fitness. In collaboration with the GE Trails and TRED of Rome-Floyd County (Trails for Recreation and Economic Development), the teachers and students of the Elm Street Aspire program were able to use their creativity and hard work to bring that vision to fruition.
Stories unfold as the trail is followed. At each station along the way, another part of the story is revealed as well as a suggested fitness activity. Upon scanning a QR code, Fit to Read trailblazers will unlock the story and a video of the suggested fitness exercise being demonstrated by Aspire students.
“The students have learned and used so many academic and soft skills as part of this project,” Arrington told the crowd.
She explained that the students used a graphic design program to design the Fit to Read T-shirts themselves.
Superintendent Louis Byars expressed his gratitude for the hard work put into the Aspire program, “I do appreciate the work that our after school programs are doing. This is just an example of one of the things that it has done for our students and our community. This is an impressive project and hopefully it will be here for a
long time for people to enjoy.”
RCS Director of Federal Programs Leslie Dixon reflected on the inception of the Aspire after school program in 2015 and expressed her appreciation for all faculty, staff, parents and students for their dedication and support
to the program in general, as well as the Fit to Read project.
Elm Street Aspire Director and PE teacher, Penny Atkinson expressed her gratitude for her leadership role with the Aspire program over the last five years, calling it “an honor and a privilege.”
“Just to see these kids,” she smiled, “go from sweet quiet little ones to bold leaders taking ownership of this type of project within the community, and to watch them realize that they can make a huge difference; it’s just an amazing feeling.”
Atkinson explained that the Fit to Read project isn’t finished.
“We will have some work days and clean up days,” she said. “We’re going to add fun fitness related activities along the fence line like hopscotch, foursquare and speed and agility exercises.”
Community members including Executive Director for TRED, Julie Smith, and RCS Board Member, Alvin Jackson, stood with the RCS/Elm Street family in support as the shining red ribbon was cut, marking the beginning of great things for Aspire students and their community.
The Fit to Read Trail welcomes all community members to interact and enjoy; to spark their imaginations and inspire their health and fitness routines.
“At Elm Street we are four houses, one family,” Walley said, “and this is one community here. So it’s great for our students to be a part of that and to see their work and know that other community members are benefiting from the work that they are doing.”