Gause Elementary Hosts Family Fitness Night

Gause Elementary School and the Gause Parent Boosters hosted its first Family Fitness Night on February 15, 2011. More than 300 attendees (students, parents, and staff) came together to learn the importance of fitness and nutrition. There were five exercise stations that focused on cardio respiratory endurance, upper body strength, abdominal strength, flexibility, and agility. Families spent ten minutes at each station, which were run by school staff and parent volunteers. Brooke Churchman, the school’s nurse, hosted a nutrition station in the cafeteria that focused on the food pyramid and making healthy meal choices.

“The goal of Family Fitness Night was to get families moving, and to do it in a fun way, with many of the exercises that could be easily replicated at home”, said Mark Bauer, Gause Elementary School Physical Education Specialist, who hosted the event.
“With childhood obesity rising, I also wanted to show what our physical education program is doing to help combat this growing epidemic,” Bauer stated.


In addition, the Washington State Health Care Authority hosted a booth where they passed out information regarding changes in state-sponsored health care.

The evening concluded with a parents versus students game of “Ultimate Energy Ball”, which is similar to dodge ball, but students learn about the following energy sources: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The concept for the Family Fitness Night came from the Box Tops for Education program, which provided sports balls and other fitness equipment to be given away as prizes.