Six Washoe County schools are piloting a program to help kids foster a healthy lifestyle by using heart rate monitoring technology in P.E. classes, but the benefits are reaching far beyond the school gymnasium.
P.E. coach Jencie Fagan is setting new heights for fitness at Pine Middle School with trendy technology. Heart rate monitors where students can be challenged to have an elevated heart rate for as much of class as possible. Blue means too relaxed, yellow, maybe push a little harder, and red is ideal for these competitors.
“If I'm doing squats and it's not on red I do more and faster squats so I can get it to red,” 7th grader Rosa Barrera told us.
It's teaching kids what a beneficial workout feels like and encourages an active lifestyle, but the accomplishments do not rest there.
"We're going to show a correlation between physical activity and academic improvement,” said Fagan.
It’s a concept already being proven.
“When I'm wearing this I feel more accomplished and do better in school I feel like," said Pine student Joseph Espinosa.
There's one thing slowing down Coach Fagan - not everyone has one. She is hoping for $200,000 for 60 watches in 20 schools.
“That's all this objective is for them to see it and feel it,” expressed Fagan.
Parents are raving about the technology, too. Emails are sent after every class tracking the student's progress.
The next round of academic testing to further confirm the connection between fitness and classroom achievement is next week.
