David Helton teaching a lesson on obesity to a middle school class in France
A group of high school students and teachers from France will visit the Chattanooga area thanks to the work of a Hamilton County teacher as part of the Global Learning Experience funded by PEF.
The French group will arrive in Chattanooga on Friday and stay through Saturday, Oct. 20. The group’s visit is part of a School Exchange Program. The French students and teachers will spend time at East Ridge High School and Sale Creek High School next week while in Hamilton County.
David Helton, a physical education teacher at Sale Creek Middle/High School, visited France in 2017 as part of his obesity project sponsored by Fund for Teachers, a program of the Public Education Foundation (PEF) and Hamilton County Schools. Mr.
Helton’s project investigated the diet, fitness habits and reasons for low obesity in England, France and Italy. His goal was to use the experience to develop obesity and fitness programs to benefit students in Hamilton County Schools.
"Fund for Teachers supports the personal and professional growth of teachers and helps them make an impact on teaching, their students and the local community," officials said. "Funding from the program supports teachers as they identify and pursue opportunities to gain knowledge from around the world. Fund for Teachers has provided more than $596,000 in grants to 153 Hamilton County public school teachers over the last seven years."