NILES, Mich. -- Students at Ring Lardner Middle School began a new initiative to help with testing. 

On Tuesday, students participated in a new walking club developed by the middle school.

The club was developed with the support of a Building Healthy Communities grant.

Students walked, jogged or ran for 30 to 40 minutes before testing in order to stimulate their brains.

The kids are given cards to track the amount of laps they complete.

The students were timed to help with research that looks into how exercise fuels the brain.

“Our eighth graders, they tested PSAT and MSTEP a few weeks ago, they were kind of our guinea pig group but our teachers said they were more attentive to their tests and they felt like they actually performed better because they were more awake and more ready to learn,” Principal of Ring Lardner Middle School, Adam Burtsfield said.

The initiative will continue on May 1, May 7 and May 8.