Chris Nugent, right, a physician assistant student in the School of Health Sciences at Quinnipiac University, read to Jason Jackson, a student at ACES Mill Road School in North Haven, during the Big Read and Fitness Fair held Oct. 5 at the school.
During the event, 58 physician assistant students and two Quinnipiac faculty members read to 150 students and gave each student a new book.
After the Big Read, the ACES students went through several fitness stations where they experienced yoga and took part in a ladders exercise and a fitness challenge. They also jumped rope and used Hula Hoops.
Quinnipiac’s physician assistant students have been working with the ACES Mill Road students for the past five years. They read to the children twice a week during the school year. In addition, the physician assistant students work with the children to help them develop healthy eating habits by assessing their lunches using the Nutrition Detective Program, which teaches how to read food labels and detect marketing deceptions while learning to identify and choose healthy foods.