Ben Franklin Students Excell in Fitness Challenge

Editor's Note: The following news brief was contributed by .

On Dec. 21, third-graders participated in Ben Franklin Elementary School’s Second Annual Third-Grade Fitness Challenge.

The annual event culminates the month-long unit of Presidential Fitness Testing that all second- and third-grade students participate in during their Physical Education classes. 

The third-grade students who scored the highest in each test went on to challenge Ben Franklin Principal Chris Turnbull at a Third-Grade Fitness Assembly. 

Carson Skove was the leading third-grader for the PACER test, which tests cardiovascular fitness, with a record breaking score of 73 laps.  Nicolette Pawar won for the sit and reach test measuring flexibility, again with a record breaking score of 18.5 inches. Cory Stallworth showed off his muscular strength by leading the third-graders with seven pull-ups.

Kathryn Hendry showed off her upper body strength by leading the third-graders in the flexed arm hang with a score of 34.94 seconds.  Dylan Morris demonstrated his abdominal strength by performing a record breaking 647 sit-ups, only stopping when Physical Education class time ran out.  Finally, Hunter Rivera proved he was the quickest third-grader around by winning the shuttle run with a score of 12.69 seconds.

Unfortunately for Mr. Turnbull, this year's third-grade class as a whole did a fantastic job on the Presidential Fitness Testing, which proved to be quite a challenge for the principal.