Lakeside Middle School takes top prize in Orange County in 'Fire Up Your Feet' challenge

IUSD’s Lakeside Middle School has taken first place among Orange County elementary and middle schools in a competition that tracked the physical activity of students, staff and parents.

The Fire Up Your Feet challenge, which started in 2011 as a pilot program in Minnesota, asked families and school staff from across the country to log their daily exercise on a website during the month of October. By the end of the month, Lakeside had bested 16 other schools from Orange County, earning the top prize of $5,700. Here’s a breakdown of the top local performers:

• Lakeside Middle School, Irvine, $5,700
• Myford Elementary, Irvine (Tustin Unified), $1,300
• Golden Elementary School, Placentia, $250
• Kinoshita Elementary School, San Juan Capistrano, $250
• Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, Irvine, $100
• Valencia Park Elementary School, Fullerton, $100
• Lakeview Elementary School, Yorba Linda, $100

P.E. teacher Jennifer Wong led the effort at Lakeside, which sent fliers to its families and staged a 1.25-mile Red Ribbon Run that drew nearly 700 runners and walkers. The prize money will be used to purchase new P.E. equipment, Wong said. “By winning the challenge, we will be able to better include students who are not able to fully participate in physical education due to an injury,” she said. “For instance, students who are not allowed to run long distances can substitute their running cardio activity with biking on a stationary bike. We can also get more heart rate monitors and resistance bands, update our physical education equipment and buy items, such as yoga mats, to be more active on rainy days.” You can find more information about the challenge on the Fire Up Your Feet website.