Four Menands students are recipients of the Capital Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Adeline Blanchette, Rajveer Nathawat, Ajani Kibanda and Varnika Pradeep were presented the awards during a mid-May ceremony at Hudson Valley Community College. The students are all in the fifth grade.
Teacher Ryan Ahl said the award is given to students who show outstanding leadership and excellence in Physical Education. Specifically, the students showcased responsible personal and social behavior, sportsmanship and citizenship; showed a desire to learn and improve; exhibited a physically active lifestyle; demonstrated leadership and is a positive influence on peers and exemplified those characteristics throughout the school day.
“I think it’s important to be active. Everyone should be physically active,” said Pradeep.
All Capital Region schools were eligible to nominate students for the honor.