Packer gives students a fitness lesson

LITTLE CHUTE - It's not every day Packers punter Tim Masthay visits a school.

However, 15 5th and 6th graders at Little Chute Middle/Intermediate School got to personally meet Masthay Tuesday.

But it didn’t come without effort.

Masthay met with the students - some of the highest minute-getters in the “Fuel Up To Play 60” contest - before an assembly for 400 of their classmates.

• Photos: Packer Tim Masthay visits school

Put on by the National Dairy Council, National Football League and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the "Play 60" program encourages children to make healthy lifestyle choices - like eating well and staying active.

"It's easy to get healthy and be fit, you don't really have to work out every day or anything like that. You can just get active doing the things you do every day," said 6th grader Charlie Coenen before the assembly.

The way the “Play 60” contest works is 5th and 6th grade students received a rubber bracelet.

After logging 60 minutes of activity, a code would display on the bracelet’s screen.

It would then be entered on a website.

Students could then receive prizes, giving them incentives to be active and choose healthy lifestyles.

Masthay’s visit was the reward the Little Chute students won for their "Play 60" competition between five other local schools.

During Masthay’s visit, he spoke to students about the importance of staying fit, eating healthy and making good life choices.

The best part, Masthay says, is the kids often don’t realize they are making good choices.

"You hear (the students) talk about playing football at recess or four square or whatever games they play,” said Masthay. “And then they come in the cafeteria and they drink a chocolate milk. Boom! There you go! You just did a lot of activity and had a nutritious snack afterwards."

For 6th grader Mackenzie Peterson, she says the contest changed her life.

"I feel, like, really good now,” said Peterson. “Even though it's over, I still do that hour, every day because it's a habit for me and that really helped me."

The program has not only helped the students, but it has also changed the way the school operates.

"We have actually done tremendous things here; focusing on changing some of our lunch programs, adding some healthy choices there,” said Little Chute special education teacher and “Play 60” program coordinator Kevin Hietpas. “Being able to pick something they may not normally pick out, off the salad bar."

Hietpas says "Play 60" also teaches responsibility.

Students had to log their activity time on their own, logging more than 200,000 minutes.