John Knapp

Knapp’s winning program, “Motion Devotion,” is the reinvention of the physical education classroom for students at Northside Blodgett Middle School. The program will involve students in sixth through eighth-grade, in an expanded curriculum to show them the ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s’ of physical activity through integrating individual self-assessments and technology. Students in the program are currently participating in a sports-based class two to three times a week for 40 minutes. However, the Centers for Disease Control recommend 60 minutes of activity each day. In an effort to get the students more active, “Motion Devotion” will include the development and implementation of a program to create lifelong, healthy habits for students and propel them to new heights in wellness and learning. The second phase will involve the students wearing heart rate monitors to track how their heart rates respond to different types of activity and what that can indicate about fitness. Participants will use the information from the heart rate monitors to track their personal health goals as well as learn about nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and overall health. Knapp, who lives in Elmira, hopes the program will be integrated across different areas of curriculum at the school.