FOOTBALL ICON HELPS GET KIDS ACTIVE
Former Australian rugby league player Mario Fenech will help spread the word about the benefits of staying fit and active during a visit to Rutherford Technology High School tomorrow (Tuesday 30 June 2009).
A hundred students from the school and Years 5 and 6 from Rutherford Public School will take part in a range of sporting activities with Mario as part of the Premier’s Sporting Challenge, which aims to promote the benefits of physical activity among young people.
Mario, a Premier’s Sporting Challenge ambassador, will speak to the students about the importance of physical activity in overall health and present Premier’s Sporting Challenge certificates to selected students.
I am excited about spending time with the kids from both schools and about helping them realise the importance of staying fit,” Mario said.
The Premier’s Sporting Challenge is a great initiative and I feel privileged to be one of its ambassadors.”
I hope that by spending time with these kids I can encourage them to lead healthier lives.”
Living a healthy and active life allows you to study and learn better at school through an active mind, which in turn helps you grow and develop as a person.”
My love of sport and keeping fit has helped me get to where I am today, and it’s important for these kids to know that living an active life will certainly go a long way in helping them achieve their goals.”
Principal of Rutherford Technology High School, Greg Archbold, said Mario’s visit will encourage the students to keep exercise and good nutrition a priority.
Mario is working with the Department of Education and Training to promote healthy active lifestyles to young people,” Mr Archbold said.
The students are very excited about spending time with Mario and hearing what he has to say,” he said.
Rutherford Public School Principal, John Quinn, said sport is a valued and accepted part of a school’s curriculum and is an also an integral part of an individual’s development.
Sport and physical activity have the potential to give children and young people the physical, mental and social edge to succeed, and Mario is a perfect example of this,” he said.
The Premier’s Sporting Challenge was launched in 2007 and is open to all NSW public school students.
In 2008, over 74,000 students signed-up to strive for personal physical activity targets. Of these students, 92.5% received a Silver Award or higher, that is an average of more than 45 minutes of physical activity per student per day.
Over four years, from 2008 – 2011, $30 million will be spent on capital works to improve school and related sports facilities, while another $20 million will provide students with greater access to sports equipment.
