Students at East Side recently completed an eight-week physical activity challenge called “Walk Across Tennessee.” It is part of UT Extension office’s programs across the state, but this year it was sponsored and implemented by Coordinated School Health. The program is designed to increase physical activity in students, who record weekly physical activity outside of school hours. Each 15 minutes of activity equals a “mile of walking.” CSH records and tracks the data by classes. The top classes who logged the most “miles” per grade win prizes. This year we had an extra winner! In the fourth grade, Mrs. Samantha Wiley’s class logged 2,049 miles worth of physical activity, and Mrs. Katrina Hill’s fifth-grade class logged 565 miles. But Ms. Jennifer Emerson’s fourth-grade class logged 772 miles, so they actually had more than the fifth-grade winning class, so they got prizes, too! The fourth graders logged a total of 4,292 miles walked across Tennessee … or walking across Tennessee 9.75 times. The fifth graders logged a total of 1,036 miles … or walking across Tennessee 2.35 times! This year we had an additional challenge. We challenged the grown-ups to be physically active, too! Seven of the staff members participated and logged a total of 987 miles walked across Tennessee! Mrs. Samantha Wiley deserves special recognition for her participation. She logged 567 miles worth of physical activity by herself! That’s walking across the state and almost back to Jackson by herself. She also won a prize for her outstanding effort. The grand total for East Side’s Walk Across Tennessee this year is 6,316 miles, or 14.35 times across the state! “Way to go, East Side! You rock! Every class who participated will get free ice cream, too! Pretty fun way to get healthier,” said Coordinated School Health Director Cindy Smith.