ESUSD Recognized for Strength in Physical Fitness Scores The story first launched at the end of November when The Daily Breeze published an article about the Department of Education's annual "Fitnessgram," which demonstrates results of physical fitness testing among California's fifth, seventh, and ninth grade students. In all, 1.4 million students were tested on six types of physical fitness assessments to determine aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition, including students' ability to perform push-ups, curls-up, and modified pull-ups. El Segundo's fifth graders led the way with more than 71% achieving at the level of "healthy fitness" for all six areas of the test. Over 65% of El Segundo's seventh graders and 69% of ninth graders also reached the "healthy fitness zone" in all six areas. In all of Los Angeles County, only the fifth and ninth graders in Manhattan Beach outranked El Segundo. El Segundo's percentages were significantly higher than the statewide average, which showed an increase over last year, but still came in at 29.1% for fifth grade, 34.1% for seventh grade, and 37.9% for ninth grade; countywide scores were lower still. Statewide scores demonstrate what we often hear--that today's children are more likely to be sedentary and overweight than children were in 1980s. It's one of the reasons the ESEF keeps physical education an annual funding priority. Thanks to generous giving by local businesses, corporations, and individuals, the ESEF has provided the ESUSD with financial support to maintain and advance its elementary PE programs since 2006. Dr. Geoff Yantz lauded the El Segundo Educational Foundation for its strong financial support of physical education programs. "The Educational Foundation recognizes that a healthy body and an active mind go hand-in-hand, and we try to make that a priority in our District," Dr. Yantz commented. In late December, the El Segundo Unified School District received a visit from State Superintendent of Public Schools Jack O'Connell, who called the District's physical fitness performance "really impressive." It was a visit he said he didn't want to miss on his tour of more than 200 California schools in 2009. While here, he visited the fitness lab, the music room, and Bulldog Hall at El Segundo Middle School where he witnessed students and teachers hard at work before the holiday break.