MARYSVILLE — It’s controlled chaos in the gymnasium at Grove Elementary.

Three classes worth of fifth graders fill stations in every corner of the gym. On one side a group of students is performing handstands against the wall. On the other students are working on their push-up form, their chests required to get low enough to touch a device lying on the floor. In back students attempt to throw a football through a hoop hanging from the basketball standard. And through it all a small herd excitedly bursts through the stations while playing catch.

Meanwhile, a tall figure stands above the fray, wandering slowly from station to station providing support and encouragement. But the figure isn’t a physical education teacher or a school administrator. The figure is Seattle Seahawks running back C.J. Prosise.

Prosise visited Grove on Tuesday morning as part of the SqordGo! Active Play program, sponsored by Premera Blue Cross, and it was just his latest stop through Snohomish County as he spreads the word to kids about the importance of staying active.

Prosise, a rookie out of Notre Dame who was a third-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, is currently sidelined because of a fractured scapula in his left shoulder. However, the injury didn’t prevent Prosise, who had just made the breakthrough as an impact player on the Seahawks’ offense when the injury struck two weekends ago, from providing words of wisdom to the students at Grove.

“I always want to give back, and for me the kids are the future,” Prosise said. “So you want to make sure the kids are first. It’s about encouraging kids to be active and strive and believe in their dreams, it’s encouraging them and being a role model for them. That’s the most important thing for me.

“I have a great time with the kids,” added Prosise, who had a big smile across his face when the Grove students began chanting C-J in the manner fans at CenturyLink Field chant Sea-Hawks! “They’re so excited. It’s a little different now that my shoulder’s all beat up, but it’s so much fun being out there interacting with the kids, just seeing the looks on their faces when they see someone they can look up to.”

Prosise first got involved in the SqordGo! program over the summer, thanks to the guidance of Premera executive vice president Jim Messina, who is serving as an off-field mentor. Grove is one of five Snohomish County elementary schools Prosise has visited this fall — the others are Beverly and Oak Heights in Lynnwood, Columbia in Mukilteo, and Sherwood in Edmonds. Next week he’s scheduled to visit Kokanee in Woodinville.

The purpose of the visits is to promote the SqordGo! program. Sqord has provided wristband activity trackers, similar to Fitbits, to fifth graders at 35 schools in Snohomish County. However, the wristbands track more than just steps, they monitor the physical movements by all body parts and translate those movements into points. That gives the kids the opportunity to compare scores and partake in some friendly competition.

“The message is that healthy habits and healthy behaviors can also be fun,” said Sqord co-founder Coleman Greene, who added that capabilities such as creating avatars makes the wristbands more kid friendly. “The core of what we’re trying to do at Sqord is restore that old-school play using new-school technology and building healthy habits through fun social experiences.”

The program even allows the students to compete with Prosise. Prior to his injury, Prosise would remove the sensor from the wristband and put it in his shoe during Seahawks practices to monitor his movement. On Tuesday he was wearing his wristband around the strap of the sling holding his left arm.

“I think they beat me in a lot of the challenges, because my shoulder’s all messed up and I don’t get to do a lot,” Prosise said with a chuckle. “But these kids are pretty active, they do a lot, so it’s fun to see.”

Having a professional athlete involved is new to the program. Grove has been involved with Sqord for four years, ever since P.E. teacher Gayle Bluhm spearheaded the efforts to secure a grant. But having a member of the Seahawks visit takes it to another level.

“It’s priceless,” Grove principal Sharon Anderson said about Prosise’s visit. “It really is, because they need to see the real person, the real life. How does physical education and movement create the whole body and motivate people to do the things C.J. has done? That’s a role model for them to look to.”

A role model who’s helping the youth of Snohomish County stay fit.

For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.