CLIVE, Iowa — More kids across the state of Iowa are more active than before thanks to a squat challenge they participated in started by Hy-Vee KidsFit.
This is the seventh year the organization has put it on. The 2022 challenge had over 600 Iowa schools participating.
The five-day squat challenge aims to increase kids' movements in the classroom by setting goals, according to Hy-Vee KidsFit Director Daira Driftmier. She said this could be implemented by using squats as an activity done during breaks between lessons or as a reward for students getting the answer right.
Statewide, more than four million squats were completed from all of the participating schools. The winning class was Ms. England's second-grade class at Schuler Elementary in Clive.
Each student in the class completed over 5,000 squats.
"Doing hard things is fun and rewarding even if you don't win," Driftmier said. "Every school that you talk to participating in this challenge feels stronger, feels more encouragement with their friends, feels more motivated to go to school and then to go home and be a healthy kid at home too."
The second-grade class will get gifts for winning the competition.
Their teacher Ms. England will also receive a prize: she'll get $1,000, which will come from Iowa Healthiest State Initiative (IHSI) which partnered with Hy-Vee KidsFit before.
"It's important that all of us are living healthy lives right, so that we can feel our best and live our best lives," said IHSI executive director Jami Haberl said. "And it's definitely important that we start working with our kids and our youth at a young age so that they can begin to build those healthy habits."
The surprise for the second graders was revealed in front of the whole school during a Friday afternoon assembly.