A $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health will allow the Ann Arbor Public Schools to increase its Rec and Ed offerings.

The AAPS Community Education and Recreation Department will add 35 new scholarships, new summer programs and after-school sports, a bike rack at Mitchell Elementary and health and nutrition training for staff at four elementary schools thanks to the state grant money.

"These are pilot funds to try new programs and offer programming to kids who don't normally get it," Rec and Ed Director Jenna Bacolor said in a news release issued Tuesday. "We'll see what works and we hope that it will lead to best practices that we can use in other areas of the district as well."

She said more than 600 at-risk students in grades K-5 will benefit from the expanded programing, which will be offered primarily at Mitchell, Bryant, Pattengill and Pittsfield elementaries. These schools are Title 1 schools and receive state grant money for having a higher overall percentage of low-income families.

A mix of after-school programs will be added, including basketball in the winter, soccer in the spring and a new spring fitness event for children that Bacolor described as similar to the obstacle course race the Warrior Dash for adults.

The Michigan Department of Community Health awarded 10 grants and received 67 applications.

Read a complete article on the grant and changes coming to Rec and Ed here on the AAPS News website.

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.