Wylandville Elementary receives grant from Kids of Steel
Huge congratulations go out to Wylandville Elementary for receiving a $1,000 physical education grant from Kids of Steel. The grant will be used to purchase equipment to enhance the activities and lessons that Ashley McCutcheon, Wylandville’s health and physical education teacher and lead coach, is organizing. It was given by Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon (P3R). McCutcheon is leading the program along with assistant coaches Dana Flaherty, Andrea Erbrecht and Principal Shannon Balch.
The program got started at Wylandville when one of the P3R team members, Katy Zeglen, contacted Balch and wanted to see if Wylandville wished to participate. Balch forwarded the information to McCutcheon and after speaking to Zeglen, she decided to start the program at Wylandville. McCutcheon says this program’s mission aligns perfectly with her own.
“As a health and physical education teacher, I try to instill to my students the value and importance of daily physical activity, not only to increase their physical health but also to increase their academic performance, both of which strongly align with the Kids of Steel program mission. Participating in this program has been an unbelievable experience. I feel extremely blessed to have remarkable students and parents participating in the program, and a group of incredible and dedicated coaches to help make this program possible for our community. I am ecstatic to continue this program for years to come.”
The Wylandville kids train for an hour after school on Tuesdays. They run 25 miles over the course of the training weeks at the school, and then they will do the last mile in Pittsburgh on the Saturday of the Pittsburgh Marathon weekend. It has been a strong start with almost 50 students participating in their first year, and they are fast-tracking to being awarded the Rookie of the Year location.
Two representatives, Derrick Shoffner and John Cotton (Shoffner is Wylandville’s local representative for the P3R program), came by the school to present the check and join the students in their training. According to their website, Kids of Steel “seeks to create a lifelong love of fitness in children by establishing a level of physical activity and athletic development, while engaging families and communities.
As part of this award-winning program, kids complete at least 25 training miles in preparation for a family-friendly P3R event. This program is unique – an official race provides tangible goals for kids to work towards.”
Health and physical education are so essential for a well-rounded education, and Canon-McMillan School District is so proud of Wylandville Elementary for recognizing this crucial factor.