The school week is off to an exciting start at Eagle View Elementary with the opening of their own ‘Don’t Quit’ Fitness Center. At the end of last school year, Eagle View learned they were one of only three schools in Utah to receive a grant from the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils for a $100,000 dollar fitness center. “We were so excited,” shares Eagle View teacher Tina Daniels. “We knew it was a long shot. We’re way out here. We’re not in Salt Lake and a lot of time our kids don’t get the same opportunities they would get if they lived in the city. We put our application in and crossed our fingers.” Now just a few months after receiving the exciting news, the fitness center is in place and a ribbon cutting was held on Monday with a very special guest. Jake Steinfeld, chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils, made it to Fort Duchesne for the special ceremony. As the founder of the ‘Body by Jake’ fitness program, Steinfeld loves being part of the effort to put fitness centers in elementary and middle schools across the country. “This is our 27th state we’ve visited since this program started,” shared Steinfeld on Monday. “This isn’t a Democrat issue or a Republican issue. This is a kid issue and we need to leave this world a better place than we found it. When we put a fitness center in a school, it’s amazing to see what happens. It becomes a hub of the community.” The Eagle View ‘Don’t Quit’ fitness center is the 128th opened by the foundation. It will be used as part of the already existing physical education program at Eagle View and will also be available for teachers to schedule additional gym time for their students. Eventually a schedule will be in place for the community to use the fitness center during hours before and after school. The program is financed through partnerships with companies like Coca-Cola and the Amerigroup Foundation.
