More than a thousand Edwardsburg students flooded onto the football field Wednesday morning, like filling a swimming pool one orange drop at a time.
When they were all assembled for their workout, it was an orange (and blue) sight to behold.
Edwardsburg Primary, Eagle Lake, Intermediate and Middle School students were led by high school athletes from basketball, tennis, track, cross country, soccer and cheerleading and physical education teachers Martha Cleveland (K-2) and Nicole Cartwright (middle school), with booming music to get them in the move.
Many wore orange T-shirts about doing their PART (Personal best, Active learner, Respectful and Trustworthy).
Their PART involved raucous participation Wednesday in the world’s largest exercise class with students from all 50 states and 50 countries for ACES.
ACES stands for All Children Exercise Simultaneously. It is a one-day youth exercise program intended to highlight the importance of and need for youth fitness.
“Michigan schools have joined together in large numbers to role model their commitment to health,” Cleveland said. “Last year more than 1,000 schools and almost 450,000 students participated.”
Edwardsburg students exercised on the gridiron, then ran and walked around the track. ACES, started in 1989, takes place the first Wednesday in May each year.