Home > School Issues Channel > Fit To Be Taught Archive > Fit To Be Taught, Vol. 44

Fitness Champ Teaches by Example

Like most physical education teachers, Scott DeTore stresses to his students the importance of regular exercise. The fact that his personal fitness program has earned him awards gives his message even more weight.

DeTore, an elementary-school physical education teacher in the Middle Country (New York) Central School District, also is a personal trainer with his own business, Train with Scotty D.

In May 2007, after completing a profile and series of competitions, DeTore was named Long Island (New Yorks) fittest man. He went on to win the 2007 National Physique Committee Southern States Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships -- the largest amateur competition of its kind on the East Coast. To earn that title, DeTore completed an obstacle course as well as competed in strength events and a posing competition.

DeTore sees his role as an educator to inspire all his students to adopt healthful lifestyles and view fitness as a way of life -- not just as a few hours of class time every week. He talked with Education World about his fitness competition experience and the challenges facing todays P.E. teachers and the important roles they play in students lives.

Read the full article on Education World

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Helping Healthful Habits CATCH On

Originally called Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), is a multi-component, multi-year coordinated school health promotion program in Texas designed to decrease fat, saturated fat and sodium in children's diets; increase physical activity, and prevent tobacco use through changes at the elementary school level. It is a coordinated effort among the classroom, the cafeteria, and physical education, with a parent/family component. When CATCH began dissemination efforts on a larger scale, the name of the program was changed to Coordinated Approach to Child Health.

The CATCH program originally was designed as a cardiovascular prevention education program for elementary school students. However, because the risk factors for cardiovascular heart disease are the same as for Type II diabetes -- primarily poor diet and exercise habits -- the CATCH program can function quite successfully as an intervention for both heart disease and diabetes.

Staff members at more than 1,000 schools in Texas have been trained to implement the program, reaching almost 500,000 elementary school children.

At the completion of the original trial, students who participated in CATCH consumed less fat and participated in more physical activity outside of school; school cafeterias provided meals that were lower in fat; and students were more physically active during physical education classes. The CATCH cohort of students was re-measured three years after the program, when they were in eighth grade, and the positive habits were continuing. CATCH students had significantly lower fat intakes and higher levels of physical activity compared to control students.

Read more about this program at: Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH).

Click to learn more about Action for Healthy Kids.

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