OCT 4, 2011- NEWARK CELEBRATES LAUNCH OF "LET'S MOVE NEWARK! OUR POWER" ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, AT 9 A.M., AT EAST SIDE HIGH SCHOOL, 238 VAN BUREN STREET


For Planning Purposes
NEWARK CELEBRATES THE LAUNCH OF “LET’S MOVE NEWARK! OUR POWER”
ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, AT 9 A.M., AT EAST SIDE HIGH SCHOOL, 238 VAN BUREN STREET
Students will use high-tech monitoring devices to achieve goals in four-month health challenge;
Program part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! National Campaign
Newark, NJ – October 4, 2011 – Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Newark Municipal Council, Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz, Behavioral Health & Fitness Expert Jeff Halevy, former New York Giant football star Tiki Barber, former New Jersey Nets star Kerry Kettles, and New Jersey Nets General Manager Billy King will join 200 East Side High School freshmen on Wednesday, October 5, at 9 a.m., to launch a four-month fitness challenge entitled “Let’s Move Newark! Our Power.” East Side High School is located at 238 Van Buren Street.
Freshmen at four of the district’s largest high schools, including East Side High, will be encouraged to wear high-tech monitoring devices that will light up bright green at designated levels of physical activity. They will receive the devices which are sponsored by the MYTRAK company and Jeff Halevy, a well-known fitness coach. Students may wear the devices to measure brisk walking, exercises, sport activities at home and in school. The devices will be set to measure activity levels that reach 25 minutes during a 30-day time period; 50 minutes during a 60-day time period; and 75 minutes during a 95-day time period.
Students at Barringer, Central, East Side, Weequahic, and West Side high schools will take part in the fitness challenge from October to the end of January 2012. District physical education teachers, who received prior training on the monitoring devices, will monitor student progress and submit weekly reports until the culmination of the program.
Let’s Move! Newarkwas established by Mayor Booker as a result of the drastic increase in the occurrence of childhood obesity in children residing in the City of Newark. Working with existing pertinent data, studies, and reports to accurately identify and address a variety of precursors to childhood obesity, the City aims to significantly reduce the occurrence of childhood obesity in the City of Newark. The program is being overseen by the Newark Youth Policy Board and the Let’s Move! Newark Council.
Let’s Move! Newark is part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! National Campaign, aimed at reducing national childhood obesity within a generation.
WHO: Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Newark Municipal Council, Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz, Behavioral Health & Fitness Expert Jeff Halevy, former New York Giant football star Tiki Barber, former New Jersey Nets star Kerry Kettles, New Jersey Nets General Manager Billy King, and 200 East Side High School freshmen.
WHAT: Will launch a four-month fitness challenge entitled “Let’s Move Newark! Our Power.”
WHEN: Wednesday, October 5
9 a.m.
WHERE: East Side High School
238 Van Buren Street
Contact: Newark Press Information Office – (973) 733-8004
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