Thorsby’s elementary physical education program received a big boost in the form of $8,700 through a Be Healthy School Grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.

A grant presentation was held on Sept. 10 in the elementary gym and was attended by a class of third graders.

Rachel Argent is a P.E. teacher at Thorsby and applied for the grant.

According to Argent, the money will be used in the purchase an overhead projector that will be attached to the gym roof and able to shine images onto the floor.

“These will be images that our students can interact with,” Argent said.

An example is the projection of a soccer field on the gym floor with a motion-activated ball.

The equipment will also be able to project onto the walls of the gym.

“Our kids love technology, and we don’t get to use it a lot out here [in the gym],” Argent said.

The technology can be adjusted to different levels and can therefore benefit a range of students from kindergarten to sixth grade.

“A big thing is just getting them [students] active and involved in something, as well as integrating technology into what we’re doing,” Thorsby Principal Corey Clements said. “You’re moving around and burning calories.”

Thorsby will receive half of the grant money up front and the other half once the technology is implemented.

Superintendent Jason Griffin attended the presentation, along with Sen. Cam Ward and Rep. Jimmy Martin.

“I wanted to say thank you to Mr. [Tommy] Glasscock, because he really is the one that turned us on to this back at the beginning of the year,” Clements said. “He’s the one that reached out to me and Mrs. Argent initially and got the ball rolling.”

Clements is hopeful that the product will be ordered and shipped by early October and installed before Thanksgiving.

“It’s just a part of a lot of things that we’re trying to do to upgrade our facilities,” Clements said. “We’re really appreciative of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, because we couldn’t have done this on our own.”