On Friday, February 5, students and faculty from Louisiana Tech University hosted a health fair that promoted health and wellness at a local elementary school, Ruston Elementary. This is the second time this year, the University group has served the local school. Students from KINE 255 and 402 and from Nursing 212 were assigned to different stations. In addition, the Student Dietetics and Kinesiology students talked with the elementary students about the importance of health and wellness, and they physical demonstrated each of the exercises for the elementary-age children. In addition, the Louisiana Tech students encouraged them to participate in such physical activities in their spare time, especially after school and on the weekends. 
The four workout stations included:
o
line
jumps, clap jacks, mountain climbers and standing elbow-and-knees for the
cardiovascular endurance component;
o
partner
claps, leg shuffle, inchworms and burpees for the muscular strength/endurance
component
o
hip
flexor, seated hamstring strength/spinal twist, abdominal stretch and stranding
quad stretch/toe touch kicks for the flexibility component; and
o
BMI
calculation and identification.
The event would not have been possible without the leadership of Dr. Jean Chen, faculty from the Louisiana Tech Nursing Department, Mrs. Sarah McVay and Mrs Tanya Sims, and most importantly without the support of the teachers, administrators, and students at Ruston Elementary school! Below are just a few quotes from some of the participants and leaders. Thanks, also, to Dr. Chen for submission of this great story! 
o
“I
think it is important to encourage our youth to stay active and healthy. In our
country, childhood obesity is a problem. By teaching our young people how to
exercise, hopefully we can help fight childhood obesity.” – Matt Gunsallus,
Kinesiology major
o
“I
had a great time at the health fair. I really enjoyed being around the kids all
day. It was great to see the kids so excited to exercise. That is the reason I
am in this field of study. I want kids to be able to learn how to lead a
healthy life.” – Dustin Horton, Kinesiology major
o
“It
was great to see the kids’ engagement in all of the activities! As a student
myself, I can relate to their excitement to being out of the classroom. The
kids definitely kept us on our toes and we almost had to keep up with them!” –
Sara Jones, Kinesiology major
o
“I
felt great and energized teaching those little kids. They made me so happy and
welcomed. They helped me improve my communication skills too. I hope to go back
on day!” – Emily Rodrigues, Kinesiology major
o
“The
health fair was a great opportunity to show my students how to deliver health
content using physical activities. I had been “preaching” in class and we, as a
class, had practice sessions on the stations/exercises, but nothing is more
powerful than a reality shock. It was quite interesting to see how our students
reacted to the “organized chaos” when at one point for the entire hour there
were 106 children in the gym!” – Dr. Chen
o
“The
Health Fair is a great way to introduce our children to the different types of
health care. The children in my classes
enjoyed every aspect of the fair - from learning how to brush their teeth to
crawling through a simulated fire tunnel, to learning how different exercises
make one stronger - to name a few. Not
only are the students at RES learning how important it is to take care of their
bodies, they are being taught by an excellent group of role models from
Louisiana Tech. It is always exciting to
be able to bring these two schools together” – Patti Scheaffer, third grade
teacher at RES
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