May 9, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Congresswoman Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-Hudson) announced today that the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District will receive a federal grant of $98,770 from the Department of Education's Carol M. White Physical Education Program.

"The purpose of this Department of Education Program is to provide funds to local educational agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs.  Providing students with the resources to learn and maintain physical fitness pays dividends that will last these children their entire lives," said Gillibrand.

"Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake has been applying for this grant for several years, so we are both thankful to get this great news and very excited about what it will mean for our students.  The equipment and activities that Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake will acquire as a result of this grant will put us on the leading edge of what schools can do to promote the health and wellness of their students," said Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Assistant Superintendent Rick Evans.

Three-quarters of the grant will go towards improving the cardio-vascular fitness of all pupils through the purchase of portable heart rate monitors for each of the five schools in the District.  These will be used to create a profile of each child's fitness that can be shared with parents.  Funding will also be used to purchase 50 pairs of snowshoes and 40 pairs of cross country skis.

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