HOUSTON – 365 Chickasaw County third grade students took a walk through a body of good health last week as the MSU Extension Service helped sponsor the educational Body Walk.

The Body Walk, also sponsored by The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, has been on the road across the state for three years, and made its first stop in Chickasaw County at Houston Upper Elementary School.

“The object is to introduce the parts of the body and their functions to the students,” said Scott Cagle of the Extension Service. “It emphasizes nutrition, exercise and how to keep healthy.”

Students enter a maze through the brain and then travel through the mouth, stomach, intestine, heart, and lungs with added trips to bones, muscles and skin. Each section is facilitated by volunteers how give a brief explanation of each organ’s function along with tips on how to keep them healthy.

The HHS Allied Health classes and Anchor club members led the students on their journey.

Vivian Cade serves as the Body Walk coordinator through Mississippi State University and stays on the road taking her health show along.

“We are in one to two counties per week from September until May all over the state,” Cade said.

Two employees facilitate the walk and rely on the county extension offices to round up volunteers to assist.

Students from Okolona, Houlka and Houston schools all had the opportunity to go through the walk and most found the mouth display the most entertaining. Seats in the mouth section are shaped like large teeth and participants are allowed to floss them with rope.

“I liked it when we got to floss the teeth,” said Marcelia Clay of Okolona Elementary School.

Shania Talley enjoyed learning about muscles.

“That why you have muscles – to exercise,” Talley said.

Cagle thanked all the volunteers who facilitated the program as well as the administration of the Houston School District and HUES for serving as hosts for the event and the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors for their support for extension programs.