It wasn't gym as usual for the students of Mount Nittany Middle School Friday morning -- students typically aren't able to practice karate or play video games during class.
But in the name of promoting healthy living, Penn State students made it possible.
Nine hundred students and 25 businesses attended a wellness fair organized by Penn State students in RPTM 356 (Programming in Recreation Services). The fair, which students had planned since the beginning of the semester, focused on helping middle school students maintain their health throughout the year.
"The idea is for the kids to learn about activities they can do during the winter months to stay fit, to stay mentally and physically well," Chris Franchetti (senior-management) said.
Franchetti was one of six students who helped organize the event for the class. The students were responsible for contacting the businesses to come to the event -- the most difficult part, Franchetti said -- and promoting the fair.
At the beginning of the semester, RPTM 356 instructor Kathleen Raupach contacted 10 different nonprofit agencies, seeking organizations to work with her students. Raupach then placed the students in groups, based on which agency they wanted to work with.
The students who organized the event had visited the middle school multiple times since the start of the semester.
"It was basically just step by step," Franchetti said. "The most important thing is communication."
And Friday, students saw their work pay off.
The school mascot, the Little Lion, danced around the gymnasium, which was decorated with red and white balloons, while "Walk It Out" played in the background.
The participating businesses had booths setup throughout the gym and varied from Summers' Martial Arts giving karate demonstrations to the Capital BlueCross showing serving sizes with fake food.
A crowd of students huddled around one middle schooler playing Wii Fit. Walking past the video game, Hannah Lemke, 11, had her hands full of papers and bags she had accumulated throughout the event.
"It's kind of random," Lemke said about the event.
Middle school students also had a bingo card to complete by going up to each vendor and learning what they do.
On the back of the bingo card was a survey designed by the Penn State students, which reflected the goals and objectives of the wellness fair.
Once the card and survey were complete, students could turn it in and be entered into a prize drawing.
