Students Walk a Mile To Join Worldwide Exercise Program
By Leslie Rott

Mackinac Island Public School students take a rest and gather at Devil's Kitchen before finishing their mile walk, commemorating All Children Exercising Simultaneously (ACES) on Wednesday, May 3.

Living on an island keeps Mackinac Island Public School children active, but this year they got a bonus after being invited to participate in the world-wide program, Project ACES, which stands for All Children Exercising Simul- taneously. The big day was Wednesday, May 3.

An extra effort was made to get island schools in Michigan involved in Project ACES this year, said Marilyn Lieber, who runs the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports. She invited the island communities of Grosse Isle, Bois Blanc, Beaver, Drum- mond, and Mackinac.

"The reality is, our entire population needs to be more active," Ms. Lieber said, adding that Michigan, a "beautiful state to be active in," provided all the more reason to encourage schools in all of Michigan's 83 counties and the five offshore island communities throughout the state to take part this year.

Project ACES is just one step in showing people, especially children, the importance of living active and healthy lives.

Each participating school decides which activity it will use to commemorate Project ACES.

Sarah Dehring, physical education teacher at Mackinac Island Public School, thought it would be best to have students walk a mile, since kindergarten through twelfth grades all participated. She said the students were excited to walk along Lakeshore Boulevard.

Students walked one-half mile from the school to Devil's Kitchen, then turned around and walked back. With the sun shining and the fog rolling in off the lake, she said, it proved to be a perfect day for some additional exercise. Project ACES was founded

in 1989 by Len Saunders, a physical educator from New Jersey, and now takes place in all 50 states and nearly 50 countries around the world.

It is considered the world's largest exercise class and is held annually on the first Wednesday in May, at 10 a.m. This is the eighth years the program has been celebrated in Michigan, which is the most active state in the country to participate. The program marks both the

beginning of National Physical Fitness Month and the Active Michigan Summer Campaign, which highlights the state's natural resources and outdoor opportunities for physical fitness.

Last year, 1,000 schools and more than 450,000 students throughout Michigan participated in Project ACES events.

Michigan activities are sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance and the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports.