By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 27, 2026 – Alaska students will soon take part in a national fitness program that has roots stretching back to President John F. Kennedy’s call for a stronger, healthier generation of American children. Baby Boomers will remember this national movement in the 1960s.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development announced Wednesday that it is working with the Alaska Department of Health to reestablish student fitness assessments aligned with the federal Presidential Physical Fitness Test.
Testing is expected to begin in Alaska schools during the 2027–28 school year.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 31, 2025 directing the federal government to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test and revitalize the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
The effort recalls the school fitness movement championed by Kennedy more than six decades ago.
Although the federal youth fitness council was created during the Eisenhower administration, Kennedy reorganized and energized the program after taking office. In July 1961, he urged every school in America to identify physically underdeveloped students and help them improve, provide at least 15 minutes of vigorous daily activity for all students, and use valid fitness tests to measure students’ abilities and progress.
“We do not want our children to become a generation of spectators,” Kennedy wrote as he promoted what he called “the vigorous life.”
The Kennedy administration distributed a booklet titled “Youth Physical Fitness: Suggested Elements of a School-Centered Program,” commonly known as the “Blue Book.” Schools across the country subsequently introduced more daily calisthenics and organized fitness assessments.
The movement was also associated with “Chicken Fat,” an energetic exercise song written by Meredith Willson and recorded by actor Robert Preston for use in American schools.
The program evolved under subsequent presidents into the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, remembered by generations of students for exercises such as pullups, situps, shuttle runs, the standing broad jump and timed distance runs.
Trump’s order reestablishes the national test and directs the secretary of Health and Human Services, with support from the secretary of Education, to administer it. The revived program is intended to establish age-appropriate fitness benchmarks and encourage strength, endurance and healthy habits.
“The passage of this executive order allows Alaskan students to refocus on the benefits of health and well-being,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said. “With the assistance of the Departments of Health and Education and Early Development, I am proud to move this initiative forward and help better the future of health of Alaska.”
Alaska will support its implementation through the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program. DEED said it will work with individual school districts to account for the widely varying circumstances of Alaska communities.
Education awards will provide districts with resources for fitness-assessment equipment and professional development for educators. The initial phase will include statewide needs assessments, training and efforts to build the capacity necessary to begin testing.
State officials said physical fitness is closely connected with classroom performance. Physically active students are more likely to attend school regularly, remain engaged, concentrate on their work and achieve better academic outcomes.
“This is an exciting step in returning to a priority of health and fitness of our student population,” DEED Commissioner Deena Bishop said. “With this emphasis placed back on well-being, our students will be afforded the opportunity to both learn and live well.”
Department of Health Commissioner Heidi Hedberg said the assessments can help schools make physical activity enjoyable while encouraging habits that continue after students leave the classroom.
“Healthier communities start with healthy kids,” Hedberg said. “The Presidential Fitness Test gives schools another tool to encourage students to move more and have fun with physical activities. Our goals are to support kids and their families in building healthy habits that will stick with them for life.”
The project is supported through a $272.17 million Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services financial-assistance award for Alaska’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program. According to the state, the award is entirely federally funded.
