LEONARDTOWN, Md. (Feb. 2, 2008)—The Hollywood Elementary School welcomed visitors from Jordan on Tuesday. The delegation was in town as part of the United States Department of State-funded King Abdullah II Awards for Physical Fitness Visitors Program.
The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State International Sports Initiatives in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The visitors program is a continuation of a relationship initiated by HHS in 2004 with King Abdullah II of Jordan that led to HHS working with the Jordanian Ministry of Education to create a program modeled after the HHS sponsored "The President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program." In 2006, representatives from HHS traveled to Jordan and evaluated and advised the newly created Royal Health Awareness Society on the implementation of the King Abdullah II Physical Fitness Awards Program.
The delegation, consisting of 10 youths who have excelled in the program, as well as three professionals, are participating in a ten-day cultural exchange with American youths and adults in the areas of physical education, recreation, and sport. Program officials say the experience also gives the visiting children a deeper understanding of American culture and a greater appreciation for the important role physical fitness and activity play in the United States.
The Physical Education Department of Hollywood Elementary School held activities that included the visitors observing physical fitness testing, and participating in activities designed to improve physical fitness. The professionals in the entourage took time to share ideas with the Hollywood Elementary School faculty.