A new program offered by Health and Physical Education could help the nearly 20 percent of Putnam County students who are at risk for obesity, high blood pressure and other conditions related to physical inactivity.

Katie Killman tries out one of the new games being offered in HPE's Activity Lab.

Applications are being accepted for the new T.E.C.H. Kids Club, a six-week after-school program that kicks off Monday, Sept. 12, in our Health and Physical Education Building.

Designed for all children in kindergarten through 8th grade, the program will provide a continually evolving variety of developmentally appropriate physical activities — such as swimming, dance, golf, soccer, tennis, team handball and exercise on virtual game equipment.

“Our goal is to make every child want to be more active — it’s about helping them change their lifestyles to be healthier — so by offering a variety of ever-changing activities, we hope to encourage continued participation,” says Patricia Jordan, interim chairperson of Health and Physical Education.

Two-hour sessions from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday will provide activities for children in kindergarten through 4th grade, while such sessions on Tuesday and Thursday will focus on activities for children in 5th through 8th grades.

Our Health and Physical Education majors will lead the sessions, with graduate assistant Josh Boynton in charge and instructor Steve Smith serving as the program’s faculty director.

“Our motivation for starting this program resulted as an outcome of Cookeville Mayor Charles Womack’s Taskforce on Physical Activity that found nearly one in five Putnam County school students to be at risk for health conditions which result from inactivity,” Jordan says.

“Those findings prove that our children have a definite need to be more physically active, so we took the initiative in providing that service by developing this program,” she says. “At the same time, our university students who volunteer to lead the various sessions will gain valuable experience in their career field.”

Participants will be selected from both applications and from physician or P.E. teacher referrals.

The cost of the six-week program is $60 per child, and payment must be made in full at the time of registration. Discounts are given, however, for enrolling multiple family members or for pre-registering for both the fall and spring programs.

For more information, call Boynton or Smith at 3811 or e-mail jaboynton21.