This program recognizes the vital role schools play in encouraging students to stay active.

What is a Demonstration Center?
A Demonstration Center school is one that clearly emphasizes physical activity and fitness in its physical education program. It can be any elementary or secondary school whose students:

• Are active at least 60 minutes a day, in or out of school
• Receive instruction on the importance of physical activity and fitness
• Learn to be active in safe and healthy ways
• Learn a variety of skills that can help them stay active for a lifetime

These schools are available for observation by teachers, administrators, and community members.

Why be a Demonstration Center?
Your school can serve as a model for people interested in developing physical education as well as providing service to your community.

How are Demonstration Centers recognized?
The President's Council awards a certificate and pennant for each Demonstration Center at the time of certification. The Chair of the President's Council will also send a letter of congratulations to the school principal soon after the school is certified.

The President's Council recommends that some appropriate ceremony be arranged for presenting the school with the pennant and/or certificate. You can fly the pennant on your school's flagpole or display it inside the school.

The President's Council maintains a list of Demonstration Centers and recommends others visit these schools. An annual report on the Demonstration Center Project will be prepared and included in its annual report to the President.

How do schools qualify as Demonstration Centers?
A Demonstration Center School:

• Encourages periodic health appraisals for all students
• Identifies physically inactive students and programs to increase their daily physical activity
• Evaluates at least once a year to monitor and motivate pupil progress
• Offers students opportunities to take part in the President's Challenge
• Provides regular physical education
• Promotes its physical education program (through materials sent home, newspaper articles, or public relations efforts)
• Arranges visits so others can observe the program in action

Individual states may establish additional criteria.

What is an Honor Roll school?
To give as many schools an opportunity to qualify as possible, a school may serve as a Demonstration Center for no more than three years. But that shouldn't mean an end to quality physical education.

Schools that have served as Demonstration Centers for three years and still meet Council and State criteria may be recommended for the PCPFS Honor Roll. The State Coordinator makes the recommendation for honor roll status. These schools will receive a special certificate signifying their tenure and be listed as honor roll schools on the President's Challenge Web site.

(View a complete list of current Honor Roll Demonstration Centers)


Who selects Demonstration Center schools?
A State Coordinator identifies schools. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports selects and approves this coordinator. The State Coordinator could be a professor at a college or university, a state director of physical education in the State Department of Education, or an executive director of a governor's council on health and fitness (when appropriate). This person should have visibility across the state and be able to identify quality programs. The state coordinator may establish regional coordinators.

The President's Council recommends that a State Advisory Committee (or an existing committee) be formed to review and approve schools under consideration. Representation on this committee can include such organizations as the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, State Board of Health, State Medical Society, State School Board Association, Elementary and Secondary Schools Principals' Association, State Parent-Teacher Association and the State Association for HPERD.

Each state determines its administrative procedures for identifying, evaluating, and selecting schools. The State Coordinator submits schools with a brief rationale (and signature of the school principal) to the President's Council for final approval.

Current Demonstration Centers
View a complete list of current Demonstation Centers.