At Manzanita Community School, Young Leaders Champion Health and Wellness

MCS students Victor, Jennifer, and Iyana

Manzanita Community School (MCS) is making a concerted effort to encourage health and wellness on campus, with Coach Max and Playworks' Coach Jared leading daytime physical education classes as well as morning running clubs and after-school walking clubs designed to inspire lifelong healthy lifestyle habits among all MCS students.

Coach Max has dedicated himself to the cause at MCS for five years now. Over that time, he has developed a rich approach that extends far beyond the "gym class" some of us might remember from our youth. For example, each class starts with 5-10 minutes of health questions, connecting recreational activities to concepts like strong bones, muscle awareness, the importance of stretching, and nutrition.

"He helps us with stretching, and which kinds of food to eat, which foods are the healthy and unhealthy ones," says Victor, a 5th-grader in Ms. Schneider's class. "We learn a lot about our bones and all of our bodies."

"He tells us to not eat bad things," chimes in Jennifer, who is in Mrs. Mesa's 3rd-grade class. "NO SODA!"

"We like to have a mix of fitness and fun," says Max. While there are plenty of games, he has found that pure fitness can be made enjoyable, often by mixing in a little competition. "We do running and racing that's timed – add a stopwatch to anything and they love it!" He also keeps records of kids' lap-running, with prizes for the joggers who log the most.

Ultimately, he says, "We want them to start thinking of staying active as a lifetime activity. When they learn that things like running and long walks are not work, [those activities] become much more enjoyable for the rest of your life."

As Victor puts it, "When we're grown up, if we haven’t done exercise when we were little, we'll be sitting around watching TV."

The classes are also offering kids a chance to develop leadership skills. "Our PE leadership program is getting rolling now," says Coach Max. "Students in grades 3-5 who are academically staying ahead, getting work done, we give them the opportunity to help out with PE classes for the younger kids."

3rd-grader Jennifer helps Coach Max every Friday, often doubling as his Spanish translator. "I help him tell the little kids how they have to be," she says. "I know them all now, because I've been helping them. Coach Max says I am best in leadership because I've been helping him since 2nd grade – that makes me feel happy. It's important to be a leader so you can help people learn more."

"It's good to be a leader because you can be a role model to the younger kids," says 5th-grader Iyana, who's in Ms. Collins's class. "It's important for us to have PE because we get exercise, stay healthy, and learn how to not get injured."

"Doing Leadership with Coach Max is fun because we get exercise and we can help the little kids understand the stuff Coach Max teaches them," reflects Victor. "It's a great thing for us, for the ones who help them a lot." Like Jennifer, he also helps with translation. "I help Coach Max talk with the kids in Spanish."

"Victor's really into the community and the school,” says Coach Max. "He knows everyone's brothers and sisters."

Victor returns the compliment. "I think Coach Max is cool for life," he says. "Coach Jared, too."

Victor and his fellow 5th-graders are gearing up for a kickball showdown against the MCS teaching staff. "We get to face the grown-ups in kickball," he says. "Last year, the 5th-graders got whooped. But we're confident because of all the stuff Coach Max teaches us. All our stretching, all the laps we do for practice, we keep building them up. I'll be ready."