RightFit program will have positive impact at Holy Angels School, principal says

By John Shaughnessy

Starting in January, Holy Angels School in Indianapolis will become part of a pilot program designed to help students improve their physical health and build healthy relationships with police.

“It will have a very positive impact,” said Matthew Goddard, principal of Holy Angels, about the after-school program. “Our students will get a very structured experience to help them with exercise and nutrition education.

“They’ll also get dinner. And the program will give them a positive connection with our public safety officials, which is an important connection to make at a young age, especially considering our world today.”

The pilot program is being launched by RightFit, a not-for-profit organization. Students at Holy Angels School and three public schools in Indianapolis will benefit from the program, which is scheduled to run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from January through June of 2017.

Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and members of the Indiana National Guard will be involved in the pilot program, meeting and talking with the students.

“Anytime we can get our students seeing public safety officials in a positive light is a good thing,” Goddard says. “That way when they’re needed, the relationship is already there.”

The nutrition education and the opportunity for dinner are also significant factors of the program, according to Gina Fleming, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese.

“At Holy Angels Catholic School, a Notre Dame ACE Academy, nearly 90 percent of the students we serve are eligible for free or reduced lunch, 100 percent of the students receive tuition assistance, and close to 75 percent participate in our after-school programming,” Fleming noted.

“By ensuring a healthy meal, additional tutoring, fitness and wellness education, and the opportunity to build strong relationships with public safety personnel, our students will flourish, and we can collectively break the cycle of poverty.”

The plan for the RightFit program is that it will expand beyond the pilot schools and eventually grow to serve students throughout Marion County.

“This will only happen if other entities desire it,” said Cal Burleson, vice president of the Indianapolis Indians, one of the community organizations providing support for the pilot program.

“For RightFit to achieve that level of stature, we have to run the pilot program right. Part of running the pilot correctly involves measuring what we believe will be impacted areas. Those areas include academic achievement, physical fitness, discipline, nutrition, attendance and ultimately resiliency. We want to create an environment where young people will want to come to school and achieve.” †