BYRON — Educators measure success one step at a time. So it's only natural that the Byron school district will measure its employee's quest for health with pedometers.
On Wednesday, the district kicked off a wellness campaign for staff members. Of the approximately 200 people on staff, 161 signed up, with the intent of getting fit. All of the volunteers were presented with a goodie bag of health-related items and a challenge: Walk farther than their counterparts.
"It's a competition between the buildings," said district business manager Jenn Walsh. "The winning building gets a catered lunch at the end of the six-week competition."
The contest is self-serving for both the employees and the district. Healthy living not only helps keep employees fit, it also keeps health insurance premiums down, Walsh said.
Grants from the Southeast Service Cooperative helped pay for the pedometers and water bottles and will provide Wellness Wednesday snacks for the six weeks of the competition. There will also be weekly prize drawings among those who record their steps.
ADVERTISEMENT
The winning building will be determined by averaging the number of steps per person in each building, but we'll leave that to the math teachers.
