lessons in the classroom. Kids in one of the second grade classes provided a hands- and feet-on demonstration of the pilot program.

“And who’s the mean lady responsible for that?” Superintendent Reggie Mayo teased Jennifer Gura’s second graders. “She’s standing right over there!” Robin Golden, the school system’s chief operating officer – but more importantly, chair of the Citywide Nutrition Committee – waved.

The $85,000 grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation will allow K-5 kids in six schools to pilot Take 10! starting in the fall. The program features two 10-minute exercise periods per day, five days a week, which incorporate age-appropriate physical activity into academic lessons. So, the second graders did a lot of basketball moves (with no ball), squats and jumps. Then they sat on the floor and did stretches.

The participating schools in addition to Brennan are Vincent Mauro, J. Martinez, Clinton Avenue, Hill Central and Troup Magnet.

Nobody’s thinking that 20 minutes of exercise a day – while laudable – is by itself going to change much for the kids involved. An article in The New York Times on Sunday reported that two studies of improved nutrition and increased physical activity in schools revealed no differences between the targeted group and the control group. The conclusion was that more must be done outside of school hours.

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