Students have been walking the halls of Ruth Betts Community School with a song in their step.
A grant has supplied iPods to members of the school’s walking group, known as the Royal Walkers.
Ruth Betts guidance counsellor Sandy Kowal applied for $500 from the After the School Bell Rings Grant through the Canadian Active After School Partnership.
With the grant money, Kowal was able to purchase nine iPod Shuffles, giving students between grades 4 and 8 an added incentive to exercise.
The Flin Flon School Division sweetened the deal with pedometers for each of the students in the group to use.
Grade 4 student Trinity Halcrow and Grade 5 student Taylor Robinson have been loyal walkers in the group since its December launch.
Both agree it is a fun way to spend 45 minutes twice a week after school.
Halcrow says she likes the added exercise – something she and her classmates are learning the importance of.
Just shy of a dozen students make up the Royal Walkers along with Kowal.
Though there isn’t any competition within the group, Kowal says three walkers recently reached 5,000 steps in one afternoon.
The Royal Walkers are made up of Trinity; Taylor; LaVerne Richard; Robert Highway; Kyle Gurniak; Ashton Francoeur; Kala Abrahamson; Kevin Sattelberger; Kyra Bishop; Skylar Maxwell; and Tobie Pardoski.
