Manchester High moves
Published:Saturday | April 27, 2024 | 12:11 AMNatrawn Wright/Gleaner Writer
It was a festive atmosphere at the Manchester High School in Mandeville, Manchester, on Friday as it hosted the main event for National School Moves Day 2024 – a celebration of physical activity and wellness.
Under the theme ‘Live Life Moving, Every Movement Matters’, the event was attended by students of several other schools, including St Elizabeth Technical High, Middle Quarters Primary, Bethabara Primary School, Christiana Leased Primary School, Ocho Rios Primary, Morgan Pass Primary, Irwin High, and Spanish Town High joining in the festivities.
Marsha Smith, minister of state in the Ministry of Education and Youth, delivered the opening remarks, emphasising the importance of physical activity in maintaining overall health.
“I want you to embrace today as an important day to take on physical activity as it’s as important as if you were having a drink of water every day. One of the biggest things that we can do to protect ourselves from lifestyle diseases is physical activity, so I want you to see physical activity as an important medicine to keep our bodies, our minds, and our spirits healthy,” Smith told the students.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton also encouraged the students to keep moving.
“Every single day you get up, find something active to do and do what you enjoy,” urged Tufton. “One of the problems is that we have allowed technology, uncalled movies, combined with ultra-processed snacks, to result in too many young people suffering from lifestyle diseases.”
Among the highlights of the day was Tufton, an alumnus of Manchester High School, joining Smith on stage to participate in a ‘Drift Dance Challenge’, much to the amusement of the students, who also enjoyed participating in several sporting activities throughout the day.