Getting out and getting active
The school cut the ribbon on a walking track Monday afternoon, built with $10,000 in grant funds provided through the Anderson County Health Department as part of the state’s initiative to provide health “enhancement” for each county.
Anderson County Health Department’s Art Miller said the walking track is a way to get kids to get out and be more active — and through the kids, the parents.
“We all live sedentary lives,” Miller said. “This walking track will hopefully get the community to do more things out and about.”
Miller said the $10,000 didn’t cover the entire cost of the walking track, but the Health Department worked closely with Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank’s office and the project was able to cut some costs and come in on budget.
“Her office and the Anderson County School System worked very closely with us to get this completed,” Miller said.
Well, almost completed.
A bench to place along the track, as well as trash bins, have not been put in place.
The impact of Hurricane Irma delayed those items.
But on a busy Monday with after school care students coming and going, a Safety Patrol meeting taking place in the school, and every other after school activity you can imagine taking place — the ribbon cutting on the track captured center stage.
Norwood Principal Karri Hobby said the students were getting anxious about making the track “official.” Students and the community have already been using it, but delays with benches and bins notwithstanding, the ribbon cutting was taking place.
The track is marked with “jaguar” paw prints — the school’s mascot — and fifth graders were allowed to decorate a paw print to make a sort of Fifth Grade Walk of Fame.
Students from the school will also be decorating a fencing along one stretch of the track.
“The kids are excited about this,” Hobby said. “And taking part in making the walking track — making it unique — has gotten them more involved.”
Work is also in progress to place signage along the track so those walking will know how far they’ve walked and how many “paw prints” it will take to walk a certain distance — like a mile.
Madison and Riley Sibley opened the ribbon cutting ceremony with a brief welcoming statement and “thank you” to all the officials involved in making the walking track a reality.
“Now our families can walk together,” Riley said.
Sedentary? Not in Norwood.
