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In the past two weeks, nearly 10,000 elementary school students in Carroll County have been methodically recording the length of gymnastics practices, merrily raking leaves in their yards and going on evening walks with their families.

Each minute is a step closer to prizes and bragging rights.

Parr's Ridge Elementary and Mount Airy Elementary students are currently involved in a Carroll County program called Project ACES, an initiative to get kids moving.

This is the tenth year that the county has executed the program, which stands for "Active Children Excel in School." It aims to improve health by increasing physical activity and school performance.

The program, created by the Children's Heart Health Team in Carroll County, was started to help increase physical activity.

"This was 10 years ago so we were a little ahead of the curve on children not being as active," said Dawn Eldridge, a community health educator with the Carroll County Health Department.

Eldridge said the team created the "locally homegrown" program that started with 10 schools, that has grown to 26 this year.

"It's grown so much that several other counties have called and they're using our model for other fitness-based programs in other counties," she said.

Linda Kephart, supervisor of health and physical education for Carroll County Public Schools, said the program includes a staff challenge that rewards the school with the highest percentage of staff participating.

Students, and participating teachers, track their activity and try to accumulate at least 60 minutes a day.

Erin Flynn, physical education teacher at Parr's Ridge and Mount Airy elementary schools, said the kids enjoy quizzing their teachers on their activity.

"They get excited to hear what the teachers do," Flynn said.

She said students sharing details about their soccer practice or other activities with their peers helps to motivate them. "They like to share; it encourages their activity," she said.

At the end of the two-week challenge, participating students stand the chance of winning T-shirts, sports prizes, bicycles and helmets.

"I don't emphasize the prizes that much, the real prize is you're healthier," said Mount Airy Elementary physical education teacher Janet Wolfing.

The challenge continues through Sunday. Students in kindergarten to fifth grade in 23 public elementary schools and three private schools are involved in the project.

Wolfing said Mount Airy Elementary School has been involved with the program for about six years.

She said the school does not have a kick-off event, but rather incorporates the program into their already existing program.

"We talk to each class about the importance of exercise and physical fitness," Wolfing said.

The existing program at the school includes a mandated 90 minutes of physical education a week, plus an optional morning run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The running program is conducted between the arrival of buses and the start of the class in the morning.

"It's really a walking path, but we call it the track because it is our track," she said. The path, approximately one-third of a mile, has volunteer parents chaperoning the herd of kids pounding the pavement.

"Some kids are running as fast as they can, some kids are going out for one lap," Wolfing said. "It's fine because they're moving the whole time."

She said her students are very interested in the ACES program adding that all of her students are responding positively.

"One day this week a fifth-grader asked if they did ACES in sixth grade," she said. "The kids are interested, the kids are excited."

Eldridge said there have been talks of expanding the program to middle schools.

"We would love to expand this if we can get the manpower and resources," Eldridge said. She said some middle schools have done similar projects modeled on ACES on a smaller scale.

Last year Mount Airy elementary received a gold award for their participation in ACES, meaning there was more than 80 percent participation.

"Get their blood moving so they're better for learning," Wolfing said. "Studies are showing that and this gives them another opportunity."

Wolfing said part of the motivation for participating was the way the program is talked about.

"We hype it up a lot, try to get them excited," she said.

Patrick Kallas, a physical education teacher at Parr's Ridge Elementary since it opened four years ago, said his kids have been involved in it every year.

Kallas included kindergartners before it was a countywide mandate.

"We shortened it to one week for them," he said of Parr's Ridge which houses students in kindergarten through third grade. "They're so much of our population."

Kallas and Flynn also incorporate the challenge into their normal classes and urged the kids to have their parents help them record activity.

Rewards for Parr's Ridge are not just from the county, but also their physical education teachers.

"If a whole class completes their forms, they can choose the special activity for a class," Kallas said, saying kids usually would lean toward fun activities such as scooters or parachutes.

Wolfing said the program is just another way to promote fitness and give students the opportunity to become involved.

"I see that there are a lot of children that love to be active," Wolfing said. "But there are some children that aren't as active. Part of that might be because of TV and the computer, some of it might be that they don't get outside."

Eldridge said families are encouraged to be involved with the program.

"That's what we'd really like to see eventually, the whole family finding ways to be more active together," she said. "That's what we all need to be doing for better health."