PATERSON --- U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) announced today that the South Orange-Maplewood School District was awarded a $1,430,106 grant through the Department of Education’s Carol M. White Physical Education Program.  The award is the largest in the history of the grant program to a New Jersey school district.

“In these tough economic times, this grant is especially important to the South Orange-Maplewood school district,” stated Pascrell.  “This recession has forced school districts across the country to cut back on education services essential to the healthy growth and development of our children.  This federal investment will allow the children of South Orange and Maplewood to receive high-quality physical education they deserve.  I commend the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education for their hard work in developing this program; they are highly deserving of this award and investment.”

The Carol M. White Physical Education Program provides funds to local educational agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, or improve physical education programs, including after-school programs, for in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade. Through these improvements provided by the grant, students are able to make progress toward meeting State standards for physical education.

“It is the belief of the South Orange-Maplewood School District that health-literate, physically-educated children are better learners. We have taken steps in recent years to support this belief and bring together the stakeholders in our community in order to expand our work in physical education and health,” stated Brian Osborne, Superintendent of the South Orange-Maplewood School District.  “This grant award re-affirms that commitment and enables us to bring 21st century skills and competencies to our children as we prepare to lead the way in the area of best practice in physical education here in New Jersey.”

The South Orange-Maplewood School District will use the award for an innovative new physical education program that will include an expansion of the Columbia High School Project Adventure high ropes course to include teacher training, an expansion of the Coordinated Approach to School Health (CATCH) program, a state of the art fitness center for both middle schools and the high school, teacher training in assessment, technology and curriculum development, laptops and Pocket PC’s for each physical education teacher to be used for assessment, attendance to state, regional and national workshops for K-12 distict physical education teachers, and the purchase of Dartfish Assessment Software for grading K-12.

“On behalf of my physical education staff, I am thrilled to be able to bring to our students a new, state of the art physical education program,” stated Judy LoBianco, Supervisor of Health, Physical Education and Nursing Services for the South Orange-Maplewood School District.  “This will be a program filled with instructional strategies and technology; a program dedicated to a student’s individual strengths, confidence and skill.  The PEP grant will enable our school district to emphasize fitness for life, the enjoyment of physical activity and the importance of holding students accountable for knowledge and skills associated with state and national standards of excellence.  Our district staff is committed to bringing a program to students that will positively affect the quality of their lives, their learning and their ability to make healthy choices for many years to come.”

“Encouraging our children to adopt healthy habits at a young age is an impotent part of making Americans healthier, and will lead to a lifetime of physical well-being.  Our country is currently in the midst of a great debate about the future of our healthcare system.  As a member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, I believe that we must take every step possible, including supporting physical education programs in schools, to make Americans healthier.  I encourage the establishment of educational programs that will provide physical, mental and social skills that benefit the children of our communities,” concluded Rep. Pascrell.

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