IDEA Member Combines Education, Fitness

When many schools nationwide are reducing or eliminating physical education, one Alpine, California, school is making fitness a priority. IDEA member Marc McKellar and his wife, Cara, have developed a partnership to improve activity levels among students at the Day-McKellar Preparatory School. He runs the Peak Athletic Center, and she runs the school; both are located within the same building. “We provide 60 minutes of physical education per day [to students] in an indoor soccer arena and gym,” says Marc. The school serves students from kindergarten to high-school seniors. “Kids learn how cells repair themselves more efficiently after exercise, how their bodies use food as fuel and how exercise produces the hormones and endorphins that make the world a friendly place. The synergy that both of our businesses have is amazing.”