Teachers at the high school joined together to start a step challenge using Fitbit products. Fitbit is a company that sells wearable technology that can be used to track data on number of steps walked, quality of sleep and steps climbed.

  According to English teacher Katie Buckley, this idea emerged after Dean of Students Mary Lundquist, health teacher Kelly Stokoe and Buckley were talking about how much they loved their Fitbits.They thought that it would be a great idea to get the faculty involved in a step challenge as a reminder to stay active.

  “We’re trying to help the faculty stay active in a fun competition to keep everyone engaged and excited about working out,” Buckley said.

  Each week, there is a new challenge for the faculty. In the first week, the goal was to reach 50,000 steps. The second week’s challenge was to encourage a buddy to walk with them and the third week’s challenge was to reach 20,000 steps on at least one day that week.

  According to Administrative Secretary Marybeth Petersen, during the first week, there were 21 people who signed up, and they had a total of 1,370,000 steps.

  To keep track of the amount of steps taken, there is a map that is used to track how far they would be walking around the globe with the total steps accumulated.

  “I think the emails we have been getting have been very entertaining. Mrs. Petersen does a nice job with adding up our steps and telling us where we would end up,” Math Department Leader Laura Lanza said.

  According to Technology Applications Specialist Andy Marshall, he was part of the development of the challenge. He helps teachers find ways to purchase a new Fitbit or alternative ways to track steps.

  Overall, the biggest goal is to make teachers aware of the amount of time they spend moving and encourage others to stay in shape and gain a sense of unity throughout the school.

  Petersen said, “I think one of the big things is community… We wanted to encourage some interdepartmental communication.”