Collin Anderson
Panaca Elementary School students, teachers and parents celebrate Nevada Moves Day with a bike ride.
Last Thursday, a crowd of Panaca elementary school students, teachers, and parents lined the road heading out of Panaca to celebrate the statewide Nevada Moves Day.
Other schools around the state had participated earlier in this annual celebration of fitness, but inclement weather prevented the elementary schoolers from being able to enjoy the event at the same time as everyone else. Two weeks later the sky was blue and the roads were clear, so off the students went, riding their bikes and scooters, with some choosing to walk instead.
Most of the students went to the Y service station a mile outside of Panaca, but some of the older students in fifth and sixth grade were able to travel all the way to the Cathedral Gorge State Park.
In total, it was reported that outside of staff and administrators, more than thirty adults joined their children and grandchildren in this event, as well as the entire student body, numbering over 130 kids.
“The kids love it; as principal, I wish we could do it once a month,” Principal Pete Peterson said in an interview, “It’s not just a good thing for the kids. It’s good for the community.”
According to a Shape of the Nation report in 2016, Nevada has relatively good wellness and exercise standards for their students, with schools required to provide their children with 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
The staff at Panaca Elementary seem to be embracing this standard, helping their students to be healthy, while simultaneously giving them a chance to get some fresh air, and most important of all, to have fun.
