District 300 Foundation awards grant promoting fitness program

Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 is generating enthusiasm for physical activity and movement with their state-of-the-art Railyard Fitness system.

Every day, veteran Hampshire Elementary School physical education teacher Andrew Rakowski sets out to share his love of fitness and exercise with his young students.

Through his relentless pursuit to find imaginative ways to bring fun and adventure to the gym, Rakowski discovered an innovative adventure course system called The Railyard.

The Railyard is a flexible and lightweight exercise system that will not only enhance physical education for Hampshire Elementary students but also will extend its benefits to elementary students districtwide, given its easy portability between schools.

While utilizing the system to its fullest extent, muscular endurance, muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility are developed and total neuromuscular engagement is elevated.

Promoting student led exercises and lessons, students are taught to build upon the fitness component they need most and create lessons they enjoy while keeping track of their own Fitnessgram data.

By learning to assess this data, students will build lifelong skills for leading healthy lifestyles.

In the fall of the 2022-23 school year, Rakowski applied to the District 300 Foundation for Educational Excellence and was awarded a grant which funded the purchase of the Railyard Fitness system.

The foundation is currently in the midst of this year’s grant season, receiving a multitude of new and creative proposals aimed at furthering our mission to enrich and expand learning opportunities for students in District 300.

The D300 Foundation for Educational Excellence was founded in 2002 and recently marked a significant milestone with the gathering of their 300th board of trustees meeting. To date, the foundation has funded over one million dollars for individual classroom and district-wide grants.

For more information about the foundation, visit www.D300Foundation.org.