Play Hard, Live Clean Challenges Continue in Garrett County Public Schools – #phlcapr2022

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

Elementary and middle school students recently completed their third Play Hard, Live Clean (PHLC) challenge of the school year. 

At the elementary level, students engaged in at least 10 physical activities in a two-week period. These included things like riding a bike, dancing, taking your dog for a walk, and jumping jacks. Students could choose from a total of 25 different physical activities, all designed to encourage participants to be more active in their daily life. 

Accident Elementary students led all schools in participation in the Play Hard, Live Clean physical activity challenge at 84%. Swan Meadow was very close behind with 83% participation.  

“It was really fun to look through all the forms returned by the students,” said Lori Reichard, who analyzes all the PHLC data for the Garrett County Health Department. “There was a mystery option where a student could create their own activity. The students are very creative in how they stay active.”

As for the remaining elementary schools, Friendsville Elementary had 64% participation; Grantsville Elementary 48%, Route 40 Elementary 47%, Crellin Elementary 44%; Yough Glades Elementary 42%, and Broad Ford Elementary 8%. 

At the middle school level, students were challenged to drink 48-64 ounces of water for at least 10 days during a 14-day period, in an effort to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with a healthier option.  

Northern Middle School (NMS) had 22% participation for this third challenge in the middle schools, while Southern Middle School had not yet returned any forms at press time. NMS will get the prestigious honor of hosting Bernard the Bear (a life-size cutout) in their lobby until the end of the final challenge, which is currently underway. The classroom with the highest completion rate at NMS was once again Mrs. Cathy Hershberger’s sixth-grade class at 100%, followed by Ms. Ashli Myers 7th grade class with 78% participation. 

At Southern and Northern High Schools, the campaign is fully online at PlayHardLiveClean.com. Currently, all high school seniors are being invited to apply for a $500 scholarship. Any senior from Northern High School or Southern High School is eligible for the scholarship. The requirements to be considered for the scholarship are to be registered on the PHLC website and have abstained from alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and any other drug that creates an artificial high. The scholarship can be used for health, education, or employment. The application is available at PlayHardLiveClean.com.

For more information about PHLC visit the PlayHardLiveClean.com website or call the health department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.

Cutline: The Play Hard Live Clean Campaign promotes healthy lifestyles, including physical activity. Mrs. Sandy DeWitt’s kindergarten class at Broad Ford Elementary School made it a group effort by taking a hike together as one of their physical activity choices.