Jayme Robinson

Robinson’s winning program, “Get Moving in the Classroom”, is a pilot project designed to investigate how academic success is dependent on engaging in physical activity. Students in the Jackson County School District will perform two, 15-minute structured exercise routines each day to strengthen the coordination of the visual, auditory, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory systems. The belief is that academic success depends on these four areas of the sensory system working together. The exercise routines will be taught by the classroom teachers who will be required to attend training on performing the activities. The goal of the program is to provide a new and innovative way to incorporate movement into the school day and improve academic performance without taking too much time away from instruction. With the funds from ING, a minimum of 60 students will participate in the program – one classroom in two grade levels. The goal is to have 15 classrooms participating. Robinson, who lives in Moss Point, hopes the project will strengthen the connection between the brain and body and improve physical coordination, eye-hand coordination, attention, and test scores of the students.