Pinecrest Implements Fitness Program

Published: November 11, 2004

CUMMING—Pinecrest Academy recently celebrated a new partnership with Northside Hospital and Project Fit America (PFA) to bring fully funded cardiovascular health and fitness education equipment and programming to Pinecrest.

PFA is a nonprofit charity, formed in 1990, for the sole purpose of donating fitness equipment to schools. By partnering with hospital sponsors such as Northside, PFA is able to provide exemplary model health and fitness programs which have been implemented in over 369 school systems in 272 cities in 40 states. Pinecrest is the only school in Forsyth County to have implemented this program and one of only eight in the state of Georgia.

Skip Putnam, CEO of Northside/Forsyth Hospital was present to witness the Oct. 29 ribbon cutting ceremony as well as Freda Hardage, director of Outpatient Services & Physician Services for Northside Hospital; Lynn Jackson, hospital administrator for Northside/Forsyth Hospital; and George Ivey, manager of marketing for Northside/Forsyth Hospital.

The program provides permanent outdoor fitness equipment that has been tested by the UCLA Laboratory School. There are seven fitness stations that can accommodate four children at each station at one time. The program also offers cardiovascular fitness activities and wellness curriculum comprised of over 250 pages and 100 lesson plans addressing in-field activities and in-class wellness instruction for kindergarten through 12th grade.

In-service/staff development services are provided to Pinecrest for two years to attain the school’s desired health and fitness model using the PFA program. 

The program benefits include helping a child to become fit, learning lifelong fitness and health habits, and improving self-esteem. It also enables students to invite family participation through fitness “fun-work” assignments.

Debbie Fiedler, department head of the physical education program at Pinecrest, believes the program will have a lifetime of success for the students.

“The PFA program will instill in Pinecrest students an appreciation for life-long fitness by targeting the five components of fitness emphasized in the school’s physical education curriculum: cardiovascular health and fitness, upper body strength, flexibility, abdominal strength, and balance,” she said.