Great Work from The Artemus Ward School Wellness Team which includes Ms. Sherdina Williams, School Nurse and Mr. Jeffrey Szwagulak, Physical Education Teacher. With the support of their Principal Neil Murphy, they are working to make their school healthier.
Ms. Williams spoke to the Student Parent Organization (SPO) parents in early October about the Healthy Schools Program sponsored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Approximately 40 parents were treated to fresh fruits and vegetables, salad and healthy snack options. The parents learned how becoming a healthier school not only positively impacts student health but also can support academic achievement. Finally, they discussed options for healthy fundraisers and celebrations. In addition, Artemus Ward is partnering with Buckeye Community Health to provide health education for some of the students in the building. Great work, Artemus Ward!
Per Ms. Williams, the reason it was so important to engage the parents is because "we seek to produce a change within our community. In order for this cultural change to occur we must have the active support of our parents. Producing a Healthier Generation requires a cultural change. If we only work internally with our students we can only make a building change. Artemus Ward has a very active and involved SPO. By actively engaging our parents with hands on teaching and modeling we initiated the conversations of how to incorporate the healthier changes into their families daily diets. Discussions on how to extend this practice into fundraisers, birthday celebrations and school wide events is critical to produce life long changes for students. We would like to see our Healthy school program become our healthy community program. Creating a healthier school environment is a short term goal. Developing a Healthier Generation and therefore, a healthier community is the ultimate goal."
