LeRoy/Ostrander and Grand Meadow Public Schools are two of 17 school districts ready for a walking challenge.

Southeast Service Cooperative (SSC) is coordinating a walking challenge between 25 of its member organizations. The Southeastern Minnesota school districts and eight city and county members are participating in two separate challenges.

This is the third year that SSC has been coordinating the contests, which run the month of January, and are based on the number of steps walked by participating members. A trophy and an article in SSC’s newsletter, The Cooperative Connection, will be awarded to the top placing city or county organization and top school district.

The winning teams will be announced on Monday, Feb. 3.

The groups listed below are participating in the challenge:

School districts: Caledonia, Cannon Falls, Dover-Eyota, Fillmore Central, Grand Meadow, Kasson-Mantorville, Kingsland, Lake City, LeRoy-Ostrander, Lewiston-Altura, Plainview-Elgin-Millville, Pine Island, Rochester, Rushford-Peterson, St. Charles, Stewartville, and Zumbrota-Mazeppa.

City/county Members: City of Albert Lea, City of Byron, City of Kasson, City of Owatonna, Freeborn County, Owatonna Public Utilities, Rice-Steele 911 Center, and Wabasha County.