Fitness Center For Herricks Middle School

The Herricks Middle School has a new fitness center. A room that had previously served as a storage area and auxiliary gym was transformed into a facility complete with the equipment that is typically found in a health club.
Herrcks School District officials said that the new resource is used by the physical education department, athletic department, Girls on the Run organization and occupational and physical therapists. Health classes use the room, tying in heart rate and energy use to nutrition units. The open layout, with newly refurbished walls, houses various sections that provide plenty of options for students to engage in exercise.
A row of treadmills and elliptical trainers, a corner filled with stationary bikes and a section with row machines present ways to enhance cardiovascular endurance. In other parts of the fitness center, kettlebells, stability and medicine balls, weights, body bars, a chin/dip station and more provide opportunities for strength and core conditioning, while mats are available for stretching. Jump ropes, battle ropes, steps and many other items are popular among students and help them to improve agility while providing further options for cardio and strength training.
The fitness center was designed to offer new opportunities for students to engage in physical activity, and the physical education curriculum was adjusted to include units that encompass the facility’s resources. Students are taught to use all of the equipment properly and safely in their physical education classes. They also learn fitness terminology and explore different forms of exercise so that they can eventually create their own well-rounded workouts. All equipment is of appropriate weight and structure for the middle school age group.
While some of the equipment was already at the school and moved into the new facility, many items were obtained through support from organizations. The Herricks Community Fund provided grant monies for two new row machines, the Athletic Boosters purchased the treadmills and elliptical machines and several bikes were acquired through an American Heart Association fundraiser.
Middle School students are already pleased with the fitness center.
“It’s good we have this in our school,” said Jeanine Fellus.
“It teaches us to work out, and if we don’t have the equipment at home we can use it here,” added Rebecca Guerci.
“The most important thing is letting students realize that being healthy and fit is a necessity of a lifetime,” said physical education teacher Dennis Horton. “Finding something they enjoy can be difficult for students at this age, and here they have so many more opportunities. The goal is for them to be excited about exercise, not intimidated by it.”