2016 Day at the Capitol a Success

ACS CAN Minnesota held its Day at the Capitol on March 16 in conjunction with the Minnesotans for Healthy Kids Coalition, and it was an unqualified success.

Nearly 300 volunteers from across the state - including student groups from Rochester, St. Cloud, and White Bear Lake - made their way to St. Paul to talk to their lawmakers about improving the quality of physical education in our schools, and increasing funding for the Safe Routes to School program. Despite a snowstorm that forced a group of students from Duluth to cancel their trip south, we still overwhelmed the Capitol complex with volunteers in sneakers, sweatbands, and bright green backpacks.

In addition to trainings and legislative meetings, we also testified at a hearing on the physical education standards bill (SF 343) in the Senate Education committee. The bill's author, Sen. Susan Kent, and three volunteers told the committee why PE was so important to them. Paul Krengel, a PE teacher with more than two decades of experience, talked about how updating standards means he and his colleagues have access to information based on the latest research, which helps them deliver the most effective curriculum to their students. Dr. Elsa Keeler, a pediatrician from White Bear Lake, spoke to the importance of physical activity to keep her patients healthy, for many of whom physical education is the only opportunity for activity many days, and how she sees the direct impact of a lack of physical activity on kids' health every day. Maddy Rehr, a senior at North St. Paul High School and a Relay for Life volunteer, spoke about being worried that she and her peers aren't learning the skills they need to stay healthy for life, which the latest PE standards emphasize. They all told their stories eloquently and confidently to a room packed with Day at the Capitol volunteers. The bill was laid over for inclusion in the Education Finance Omnibus bill.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the ACS CAN Minnesota Facebook page, our Twitter account, and the hashtag #MN4HK to see pictures from the day.