Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Portales High School student volunteers push Valencia Elementary School students in a game of "Mario Kart" Friday morning in the Valencia gymnasium during the "Eat Smart to Play Hard" activity day.
PORTALES - Ready, set, play: Valencia Elementary School students on Friday experienced the fun of eating healthy and staying active.
Third- and fourth-graders were put through a gauntlet of activities, ranging from jump rope to "Mario Kart," in which high school volunteers pushed students up and down the gymnasium on scooter boards.
All this was the culmination of "Eat Smart to Play Hard," a six-week program that encouraged children to take home healthy recipes and exercise regularly.
Caron Powers, Roosevelt County's Healthy Kids coordinator, began her position at the beginning of the school year and has already seen children and parents adopting a healthier lifestyle.
"I've had (parents) seek me out and say that it was good. If (students) do (the program) all six weeks - they do those two things every week - then they earn a medal. Out of 200 kids, 70 plus got medals. I'm very pleased with that," Powers said.
The students, too, seemed to connect with the program, including 9-year-old Ediel Aniles.
Aniles' favorite activity at the event was soccer, a sport he has already developed a passion for because "it runs through the blood in my family."
Regular exercise is important to be able to "do more things, and you have a better career when you grow up," said Aniles, who aspires to be a soccer goalie one day.
Aubree Vallejo, 10, enjoyed the interactive video game "Just Dance," and said a healthy lifestyle was needed to "play and run and don't get tired real quick."
Vallejo has been participating in "Eat Smart to Play Hard," and said the recipe she enjoyed the most at home was for a banana and strawberry smoothie.
The event was also important to teachers, including Jeremy Berry, an educational assistant at Valencia.
"In our society right now, sometimes kids aren't taught to eat healthy, and healthy options aren't available all the time, and if we could teach them fun ways to stay healthy, then I think we're doing our job," he said.
Student participation at the event was evidence enough for Berry that the program was having an effect.
"They're understanding that healthy eating and staying active will benefit them, and they can see the fun side of being active, and fun ways to be active, instead of just going to a gym and exercising."
