PLT4M Essay Contest Finalist – Alma Jones

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]PLT4M hosted an essay contest for students across the country. Check out the full prompt here. We asked students: In less than 750 words, you have to convince ‘Sedentary Industries’ that physical education is important to you. Why does physical activity and fitness matter to you? We received hundreds of submissions and are now down to the finalists. Congrats to Alma Jones from Jordan High School in Utah for being a finalist![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Alma’s Essay”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Dear ‘Sedentary Industries’ , 

INTRODUCTION

Regarding the recent headquarters being built in Sandy, and the policies you wish to enact about the removal of physical activity and fitness from the high school experience. I would briefly like to cover why that may be a bad idea on your part, and the negative implications it may impose on the students. Throughout this letter, I’m going to be discussing the direct impact physical activity has on brain function and how it governs the retention of knowledge.

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

Physical activity has many positive impacts on the brain and how it functions. A study from the California Department of Education has shown that students with higher fitness scores consequently have higher test scores. This is because exercise primes the brain to learn quicker. Another study was also done that showed that students who did HIIT (high-intensity interval training) prior to learning vocabulary could do so 20% quicker than the other sedentary students.  Now let’s talk about something called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (aka BDNF). BDNF is a protein in the brain. In order for us to learn, the brain needs to modify its cellular infrastructure to allow the firing of neurons to happen more easily. BDNF itself stimulates neuron growth, and how well they function, not to mention it helps strengthen neurons to protect against the process of cell death. Why am I talking about this, you may ask? BDNF is released through exercise and movement. It is the link between the brain and the body. To simplify, more exercise means more BDNF, more BDNF means better performance in school. 

ARCHAIC HISTORY

The Lives of our ancestors compared to our modern era, were much different than life today. When our ancestors were subjected to physical activity, it was merely for the sake of survival. Movement stimulates that something important is happening, and survival was extremely important. When we’re sedentary, it’s signaling to our bodies that we’re safe and that nothing important is happening. Sitting in a classroom all day without physical activity signals our bodies that nothing important is happening, therefore, there’s no need to retain information. 

NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS/CLOSING

Removing physical education from high school may be the last thing you may want to do if you have the students best interest at heart. Doing so would be a huge disservice to high schoolers now, and highschoolers to come. The removal of physical activity WILL HINDER the development of the students, and I strongly urge you to reconsider your stance on this situation. I believe you guys will do the right thing.  Yours Sincerely, Alma Jones [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Share this article:

Recent Posts

Interested if PLT4M can work at your school?

Schedule a Free Demo

Follow Us!

PLT4M avatar; PLT4M @PLT4M ·
14 Jul 2077047361763749945

🎉 Free Webinar for Elementary PE Teachers!

📅 Wednesday, July 15th at 1:00 PM ET

Looking for fresh ideas to make fitness more engaging in elementary PE? Join us for practical, ready-to-use activities that get students moving, having fun, and building lifelong fitness skills.

Image for the Tweet beginning: 🎉 Free Webinar for Elementary Twitter feed image.
Reply on Twitter 2077047361763749945 Retweet on Twitter 2077047361763749945 0 Like on Twitter 2077047361763749945 1 Twitter 2077047361763749945
PLT4M avatar; PLT4M @PLT4M ·
13 Jul 2076684688190525806

🚨 Complex doesn’t always mean better.

📈 The basics build better athletes.

✅ Purposeful training
✅ Clear progressions
✅ Individualized development
✅ Athlete buy-in

🏋️ Explore more high school strength & conditioning resources:
https://hubs.li/Q04hYP4J0

Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Complex doesn’t always mean Twitter feed video.
Reply on Twitter 2076684688190525806 Retweet on Twitter 2076684688190525806 0 Like on Twitter 2076684688190525806 1 Twitter 2076684688190525806
PLT4M avatar; PLT4M @PLT4M ·
9 Jul 2075234860193493444

🚨 Great fitness lesson plans for high school students start with foundational movement skills and scalable progressions.

In this video, we take a quick look inside PLT4M’s Intro To Fitness program and explore how:
💪 movement demos
📈 push-up scaling
🏋️ pull-up progressions
🧠

Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Great fitness lesson plans Twitter feed video.
Reply on Twitter 2075234860193493444 Retweet on Twitter 2075234860193493444 0 Like on Twitter 2075234860193493444 2 Twitter 2075234860193493444
PLT4M avatar; PLT4M @PLT4M ·
7 Jul 2074511683129635193

🚨 Students engage more when health and PE feel meaningful beyond the classroom.

See how Kimberly Jaeger is helping students build confidence and lifelong wellness at South Milwaukee High School with PLT4M:
https://hubs.li/Q04h_G1r0

💡 Lifelong confidence starts with:
✅

Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Students engage more when Twitter feed image.
Reply on Twitter 2074511683129635193 Retweet on Twitter 2074511683129635193 0 Like on Twitter 2074511683129635193 1 Twitter 2074511683129635193
PLT4M avatar; PLT4M @PLT4M ·
3 Jul 2073111610453832173

In honor of summer training and 4th of July weekend… 🇺🇸😂

Strength coaches everywhere are currently bending over backwards trying to:
📅 fit every team in
🏈 work around camps
⚽ dodge vacation schedules
🏀 organize lifts
🏃 keep athletes showing up

Summer strength &

Image for the Tweet beginning: In honor of summer training Twitter feed video.
Reply on Twitter 2073111610453832173 Retweet on Twitter 2073111610453832173 0 Like on Twitter 2073111610453832173 1 Twitter 2073111610453832173
PLT4M avatar; PLT4M @PLT4M ·
1 Jul 2072336111490261446

🚨 Low athlete engagement usually isn’t an effort problem — it’s a buy-in problem.

When training lacks structure, athletes disconnect.

But when athletes:
🔥 see progress
📈 understand the purpose
🏋️ feel ownership in the process

…effort, consistency, and confidence all

Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Low athlete engagement usually Twitter feed image.
Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Low athlete engagement usually Twitter feed image.
Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Low athlete engagement usually Twitter feed image.
Image for the Tweet beginning: 🚨 Low athlete engagement usually Twitter feed image.
Reply on Twitter 2072336111490261446 Retweet on Twitter 2072336111490261446 0 Like on Twitter 2072336111490261446 0 Twitter 2072336111490261446
Load More
Facebook Instagram Youtube