MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Many programs exist to help today’s youth in areas such as exercise, self-esteem or being drug-free, but the National Youth Physical Fitness Program helps children in all three.

The United States Marines Youth Foundation, Inc., sponsors the free program to help youth prepare for everyday life challenges.

Some of the program’s objectives include: increasing the physical fitness of youth, providing schools with a high-quality physical fitness education program, instilling positive values of physical fitness, and helping youth develop personal resistance to drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.

The program provides local schools with the materials needed for the schools’ physical education teachers to implement it.

“It’s all about keeping the kids physically fit,” said Rudolph Caron, who helps local San Diego schools implement the program.

The youth foundation designed the program to instill Marine Corps values in schools to help students perform well in their classes and in everything they do, explained Caron.

It is for students in kindergarten and grades one through 12. The program tests students in five exercises which are sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, standing long jumps and shuttle runs.

The PE teachers show students how to properly perform the exercises and have them practice at school and home.

There are also different variations of the exercises to allow underdeveloped, physically challenged and overweight students to participate as well.

They test the students at the beginning of the school year to determine their level of fitness, and again in the winter to evaluate progress. The final test is at the end of the year.

They score each exercise differently and then add all five together for a composite score. The program requires a score of 250 points for the student to receive a certificate of athletic accomplishment. If the student does not achieve the score, they receive a certificate of participation.

A couple of schools here that implement the program are Evans Elementary School and St. Polycarp Catholic School. At the end of the school year, the schools have Marines from different military installations, including Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, come out to help award the children their certificates.

Although today’s students are more technologically oriented, schools continue to promote good health and physical fitness. With the help of a few Marines, schools can help students develop good habits for their rest of their lives.

                                                                                -30-