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The people of Korea, North and South, are proud, disciplined and tenacious. It is tragic that we cannot live in harmony, but we must remain strong and resolute as we struggle to bring our cultures together in peace.

School physical education programs can and should play a key role in developing physically fit adults. Our current system of physical education, nationwide, will not meet future needs, and many young American lives will be needlessly lost if leaders from Korea and the United States fail to sustain the peace.

This month the IHPRA salutes Des Moines area physical educators working hard to shape their curricula for the future. These professionals met this month for training.

CCSSO Policy Statement

The Board of Directors of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has approved a policy statement on the deep connection between school health and academic achievement. Developed under the guidance of the CCSSO Task Force on School Health and Safety, chaired by Superintendent Sandy Garrett of Oklahoma, the policy calls on chief state school officers, their agencies, and partners to ensure that efforts to improve academic performance address the health and developmental needs of students.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports:

Nearly 1 of every 3 children is at risk of being overweight, while 1 of every 6 is overweight. Complications form obesity include high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Soda consumption has increased by 300 percent in the past 20 years, and serving sizes have increased from 6.5 ounces in 1950s to 12 ounces in the 1960s and 20 ounces by the late 1990s.

Between 56 percent and 85 percent of children in school consume at least one soda daily.

Each 12 ounce sugared soda consumed daily has been associated with a 60-percent increase in the risk of obesity.