Kissam Elementary School staff gathered on Friday for the kick-off of the Walk Across Texas! Adult program.

The staff at Kissam Intermediate School in Chapel Hill kicked off its Walk Across Texas! Adult program on Friday.

Walk Across Texas! Adult is an eight-week program designed to help Texans establish the habit of regular physical activity. The program will be done with the staff at the school.

The staff will be divided into teams of eight, each team member will input their miles walked daily. Weekly each team will have an overall score of the amount of miles they walked. At the end of the eight weeks there will be a team winner to see who walked the most, according to Smith County Better Living for Texans agent Erica Davis.

“The overall goal is to encourage physical activity for the staff and eventually the students,” she said. We wanted to first encourage physical activity in the staff. In the future we want to do a Walk Across Texas with the youth at Kissam Elementary as well.”

“We wanted the students to see the teachers being active so that they could be encouraged when it is time to do Walk Across Texas with the youth,” Davis added.

The final goal of each team is to reach 832 miles to make their way across the State of Texas.

Davis said she is thankful for the participation and encouragement from everyone on the campus.

“I am very thankful to the staff at Kissam Elementary. Mrs. Flach and Mrs. Kissam have done an amazing job with getting the staff involved with Walk Across Texas program. Also Ms. Moody, the principal, has done a great job supporting them.”

The school recently finished another healthy program and Davis said she is excited for more in the future.

“We just ended the Learn Grow Eat Go program which teaches the students about plants and gardening. We are hoping that the students will have some potatoes to take home before school is out for summer from the garden that they planted,” she said. “I am thankful for them and excited for what things we will do in the future.”

For more information, visit www.walkacrosstexas.org.