California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Gold Medal Recipient of 2010 Spotlight Award - $10,000 Award

Excerpt from the Governor's 2010 Spotlight Awards Ceremony: 

"At Overland Elementary School, one individual succeeded in getting the whole school MOVING. Apryl Krakovsky, a mother of three, an educator and a PTA board member, created and launched a school-wide morning fitness program -- OVERLAND IN MOTION (OIM). Her inspiration for the program came from the groundbreaking books Brain Rules and Spark, which assert that exercise improves cognition. Each day more than 500 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, teachers, support staff, and parents, engage in 15 minutes of easy-to-follow movements set to music. While the emphasis is on having fun while moving and enhancing self-esteem, the OIM program promotes cardiovascular, flexibility and muscular training, as well as healthy nutrition. Students are encouraged to create their own routines and are given the opportunity to lead their fellow students, further enhancing self-esteem. Recently released academic performance index scores for 2010 show that the OIM program has coincided with significant academic improvement at the school."