Sperreng Middle School was one of four schools statewide to earn Exemplary Gold status from the Missouri Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in 2009.

Exemplary Gold is the highest status a school can receive.

The award was presented to Physical Education Department Chair Johnna Wieter at the association’s recent convention, ac-cording to a district news release.

Wieter stated this is the first time Sperreng Middle has earned Exemplary Gold status, following the addition of health classes that now are being taught at the middle school.

“We are one of the first middle schools to go to a full fitness focus,” Wieter stated in the release. “For example, during the basketball unit, students rotate among shooting, jogging, passing and push-up stations.

“You don’t have to be a great athlete to do well in PE. It’s all about improving on your personal best, and once kids believe they can do that, their mentality changes.”

Pupils wear heart monitors in class and gradually improve fitness throughout the year, working toward a 20-minute jogging test at the end of the second semester.

Wieter and her counterparts also teach pupils how to incorporate fitness into their routines outside of school.