CT Kid Governor Cristiano Almeida interview with Mr. Tony Loomis

Hello everyone!

By far one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve had as Connecticut’s Kid Governor has been turning my campaign platform into a reality! My first platform point is to “Create a Fit4FunKids video series with interviews” for 5th graders to watch, learn, and enjoy. These interviews will be with professionals in the field of physical health and fitness.  

I am so happy to share with you that I conducted my first interview for this video series! It was with Mr. Tony Loomis, President of The Connecticut Association of Administrators of Health and Physical Education (CAAHPE) and Southington High School’s Health & Physical Education Department Leader.  

Thanks to the collaboration that the Connecticut Democracy Center has with the Department of Families and Children (DCF), I had the opportunity to meet and interview Mr. Loomis in a real TV studio! The show was DCF’s “Doors to Hope and Healing” on Nutmeg TV.  It felt really official and I couldn’t believe all the lights and cameras and editing technology that surrounded me. It was really cool. Being in a real TV studio made me a bit nervous to conduct my interview, but I had the support of Ms. Jackie Ford from DCF who was the host of the show, and she thought of really great additions to the whole interview. It helped that I had my questions prepared ahead of time, but in the moment of the interview I was able to think of a few additional questions that Mr. Loomis had great answers for!

You all NEED to see this interview with Mr. Loomis! Imagine sitting next to  someone whose name is infamous in the field health and physical education in Connecticut. That was how I felt, and it was a good feeling.! Mr. Loomis is really passionate about physical fitness, and an expert in physical education. A bonus is that he’s from Southington (just like me), and  I found out during the interview that he previously worked with my dad who is also a physical education teacher! With a career spanning decades and more achievements than I can count, Mr. Loomis is the kind of person that everyone should hear from to learn how all students around Connecticut can be Fit 4 Fun!

I can’t wait to make more videos and interviews like this one.   There are so many experts out there that can contribute great fitness tips, and I want to learn from them so together we can make Connecticut 5th graders healthier and happier! 

Cristiano Almeida 

2024 Kid Governor

Oshana Elementary School      

Southington

Poster Contest Updates from CT Kid Governor Cristiano Almeida

Hello, everyone!

I hope you're all having a fantastic day! I've got some exciting news to share with you all!

In March, I partnered with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and CT Family Day on my statewide poster contest. I asked you to submit artwork that answered the question: In what ways do you and your family stay physically active? As your Kid Governor, one of the best parts of my job is seeing all the incredible creativity and talent that the 5th graders of Connecticut possess. And let me tell you, we received some truly outstanding submissions in the poster contest! I'm thrilled to announce that my amazing Cabinet Members and I have completed the challenging task of reviewing all the 5th-grade poster entries and selecting the top 13 posters to advance to the finals! Trust me when I say it wasn't easy, but it was my favorite part of our April Cabinet Meeting. Each poster submission was creative and brought its own fantastic fitness ideas. It was so hard to select the finalists. Now, you're probably wondering, "What happens next?" Well, hold onto your hats, 5th graders, because the excitement is far from over! I will be collaborating with DCF to determine the ultimate winner from among these amazing finalists. Together, we'll carefully examine each poster and consider creativity, originality, and of course, meaningful fitness ideas! To all the incredibly talented 5th-grade artists who submitted their work, thank you for participating in this really fun opportunity! I can honestly say I am inspired by the awesome job you all did. I am also so thankful for my Cabinet Members for making the tough process of narrowing down the poster submissions a little easier.

Lastly, I am grateful to the Connecticut Democracy Center for working hard to make the poster contest—which is the second point of my platform —a reality! 

Cristiano Almeida 

2024 Kid Governor

Oshana Elementary School      

Southington