Jim Kotelnicki

Kotelnicki proposes using video games to combat childhood obesity. His project, "Fit Kids - Getting Kids Active with the Use of Technology", will incorporate the use of video games into physical education classes at Blacklick Valley Elementary Center. The goal of the program is twofold: 1) increasing the amount of weekly physical activity students receive and 2) improving overall cardiovascular endurance. Currently, students attend one P.E. class per week. Video games will be incorporated into four activity stations that students will be required to participate in each week. They will sign in and out every time a game is used. Weekly comparisons of the time spent at each station will provide an indication of how each student's activity level is increasing from week to week. Approximately 170 students in grades three through six will benefit from this program. Kotelnicki believes that using technology to promote the benefits of exercise will help reverse the trend of deteriorating health and fitness among children. He lives in Ebensburg.