Nellie Coffman Middle School in Cathedral City will have a new $100,000 fitness center this fall for its success in the Governor’s Fitness Challenge.

“All the teachers said the kids were screaming and jumping up and down” when they found out, Principal Cinda Killebrew said this week. “It was really a unifying thing for our kids.”

Nellie Coffman was one of eight schools in the state to receive a “Live Positively Fitness Center,” which will be installed in November.

The competition challenges schools to engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, three days a week.

Nellie Coffman students logged 66,521 active days, and parents and teachers added 50,613 active bonus days.

“Nellie Coffman did a tremendous job in terms of not only getting their students active, but their entire community,” said Kenny Rogers, executive director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which oversees the fitness challenge.

Teachers organized walking or hiking groups, and the school reached out to community groups such as the fire department and retirement homes to log active hours for the school.

Activities such as soccer games or bike riding were offered to the students as incentives throughout the school year, Killebrew said.

The fitness centers, which include a mix of traditional equipment and interactive fitness games, are funded through a donation by the Coca-Cola Company.

The grand prize winners in the Governor’s Fitness Challenge will be announced today.

Three Cathedral City schools were named regional finalists and are up for the grand prize of more fitness equipment — Nellie Coffman, James Workman Middle and Agua Caliente Elementary.