WILMINGTON, N.C. — Pine Valley Elementary School students like to start their mornings with getting exercise, something that’s been shown to be effective at raising students’ grades.

Caitlin Hunter says she became a physical education teacher because she realized her love for the sports she played growing up could become her job.

After starting her career, she worked to begin the “Morning Milers” program at the Wilmington school.

Students grab a straw at the entrance as their ticket into their school’s track, and they get a Popsicle stick to help them remember their lap count. Hunter then tracks their progress and gives out rewards. She says it’s all about organization and being active.

“Come to school about 20 minutes early. They can check in with their teachers, come down to our track and just exercise. It’s kind of up to them. The only rule is you have to keep moving,” Hunter said. 

The Morning Milers aren’t just for the kids — many parents come out to get their daily steps in as well. 

“It’s just cool to kind of show kids that, yes, exercise isn’t always the most fun things that you can do, but there are a lot of ways to make it very fun. And I think one of them is getting families involved,” Hunter said. 

Studies have shown physical activity before school leads to increases in grades and test scores for students. Hunter says she knows this firsthand. 

“It ended up actually being my research project in college, too… The biggest study was that, if before school or before any type of learning, the kids, for 20 minutes, increase their heart rates, then it will translate to higher test scores. And math and science had like the biggest growth,” Hunter said.

Hunter tells us she plans to continue this program for this upcoming school year. In the future, she wants to start the program at other schools as well.