Meet the ACPS Partner: Move2Learn

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is fortunate to count dozens of dedicated businesses, community organizations and institutions of higher education as partners working with us each day to inspire students and address barriers to learning. 

The Meet the ACPS Partners feature aims to proudly thank our partner organizations. Through these question and answer style articles, ACPS also wants our school community to get to know who our partners are and the positive impact they have on our schools. Let us meet the partners:

Move2Learn

www.move2learn.org

Jen Wiser, Director of Programs

Schools Served: Division-Wide

Tell us about your organization. What is your mission statement? How do you work with ACPS students, families or staff?

Move2Learn (M2L) partners with the educational community to transform classroom learning outcomes through the innovative science of movement. We provide educators and students with resources and tools that inspire movement throughout the school day to prime students' brains for learning their best.

How long has your organization been (officially/unofficially) partnering with ACPS?

Move2Learn just celebrated its fifteenh anniversary!

If you could describe the impact of your work with ACPS in three words or less, what would they be and why?

• Proactive: Our programs have far-reaching ripple effects for our community. It keeps students in school, on the right path toward graduation and a more productive, healthy life and a stronger, more vibrant community.
• Cost-effective: It does not take much to make a big difference in students' (and educators!) health. And it does not cost a lot of money!
• Transformational: We teach students the lifelong benefits of moving their bodies for physical and mental health.

What is recent good news about your organization or a feel-good story you can share about your work?

Our organization leads the M2L Healthy Community Action Team (HCAT) thanks to a three-year grant made possible by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY). This collaboration of local organizations and business partners to encourage movement, mindfulness and healthy eating in Hispanic middle school youth. 

Recently, partners from M2L, Casa Chirilagua and Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia (MGNV) teamed up to provide an after-school gardening club for students at George Washington Middle School (GWMS). Students planted lettuce, spinach, onions and herbs just after Spring Break and received lessons on nutrition, plants and soil from MGNV's Youth Education Program (YEP). Students weeded and watered the garden with a bike-powered sprinkler system built by members of the GWMS STEM Club led by sixth grade science teacher Alonzo Mitchell and made possible by a grant from Dominion Energy. The six-week experience culminated in a "Salad-bration" where community members were invited to join the students in harvesting and eating their vegetables and trying out the bike-powered sprinkler system.

What is one thing most people might not know about your organization's work?

M2L's programs are more than just FUN! M2L programs impact academic success, attendance, mental health and student behavior in our schools. For example, 81% of our educators who use M2L active seating report having fewer behavior problems; 91% say their students are more engaged and able to stay on task during class and 100% say their students have increased awareness of ways to self-regulate their emotions using movement. 

M2L disseminates an annual programmatic survey to teachers. In December of 2024, nearly 400 teachers across the division responded.

How can community members support your organization's collaborative efforts with ACPS?

• Invest their time, talent and treasure with M2L! Volunteer with us in schools by delivering active seating, fixing bikes and buying healthy snacks for students. 
• Follow us on social media @move2learnkids.
• Stay active this summer with Move2Learn. 
• It does not take much time or a lot of space to have a BIG impact on your physical and mental health. No special equipment or a gym membership required. Research shows moving for as little as five minutes every half hour can lower your risk of diabetes and improve your heart health. Moving helps your mental health as well. A moderate 10-minute walk each day can decrease your risk of depression by 18%. 
• You can move at home this summer with M2L's five-minute Brain Boosting Videos and the M2L Fitness Cube. Just roll the cube for a quick movement break to boost your brain power and feel your best! Need a cube? We will send you one for FREE! 
  • Move along with Move2Learn’s Brain Boost Videos.
  • Fill out this form to order the signature Move2Learn Toolkit.