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PE Teacher Araiza Returns from CATCH Training in Ecuador
- Updated: February 29, 2016
by Ronnie Zamora/LFCISD
Olmito Elementary Physical Education teacher Julio Araiza has returned from Cuenca, Ecuador, where he was a lead trainer for teachers implementing the CATCH program in Ecuador.
CATCH, an acronym for Coordinated Approach to Child Health, is a proven program to prevent childhood obesity and launch children and communities toward healthier lifestyles.
Araiza caught the attention of the CATCH national staff when he received the 2015 CATCH Champion Award of the Year by the Texas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD).
He was asked to go to Ecuador to co-train about 50 middle school teachers over a three-day period on Phase II of the CATCH initiative.
“It was exciting and challenging,” Araiza said. “We have already taught Phase II to coaches in our school district. This was exciting because we were pretty much on our own to train their teachers.”
Araiza and co-trainer Kathy Chichester of Flaghouse, Inc. in New York trained teachers on physical activity the first day, and focused on nutrition for the second and third days.
As part of the project, all school faculty attended implementation workshops and booster trainings and schools received CATCH Activity Boxes and Coordination Kits.
CATCH is based on the CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model in which health education, school environment, and family/community involvement work together to support youth in a healthy lifestyle.
Initial findings after the first year of the CATCH program in the the 12 elementary and middle schools in Los Fresnos CISD were positive. Results showed a 29 percent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after CATCH implementation.
The findings also showed that 7,500 children in Los Fresnos CISD have been impacted by the CATCH program, and there has been a 27 percent increase in children with healthy BMI.
Araiza said that funding is limited for Ecuador teachers. “Some coaches from Ecuador told me that tennis balls were the only type of equipment available for various games for students. That’s one thing I will tell my students here, that we should appreciate more of what we have and not take things for granted.”
More photos on the LFCISD Flckr page