Grimes and the Bamberg-Ehrhardt school wellness team plan to implement the challenge next year. “Now, when the gym is open, teachers will take their students to move around, or take their students for a walking break when the weather is nice,” notes Ayers. At the end of the 8-week challenge, the winner who lost the largest percentage of weight lost close to 20 pounds!Īfter the BMI Busters Challenge, Grimes feels that her colleagues are more aware of how active they are, and that has been reflected in how they teach. Participants received weekly tips and recipes by email, in their personal boxes, and at weigh-ins. Participants received a Wellness Folder that included a weigh-in sheet, rules for the BMI Busters Challenge, BMI chart, healthy tips and other wellness resources. Staff participation well exceeded the school wellness goal to have “35% of the school staff participate in a fitness, healthy eating, and weight management program.” Grimes and her wellness team promoted the program by posting flyers around the school and in the staff room and sharing information at staff meetings. The school launched a “BMI Busters” program in the 2014-15 school year in order to “provide opportunities to all faculty and staff members and students to gain knowledge and obtain skills that will foster a healthy lifestyle and create a positive and healthy climate.”īMI Busters is an 8-week program that ran from January to March 2015, and 21 staff members participated, including the school principal. After completing the Assessment, Wanda Grimes, the Wellness Lead at Bamberg-Ehrhardt, focused on improving the overall well-being of staff who can then model healthy behaviors for their students. One school partner, Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, is making great progress by choosing to start a new staff wellness initiative. A focus on staff to create a healthy climate for students School partners could then use the Assessment results to prioritize items they wanted to work on throughout the school year. To support this effort, SC DHEC regional staff met with wellness leads from schools in two South Carolina school districts and introduced them to the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program by helping them enroll and complete the Assessment tool. The services provided by the Alliance complement their local and regional efforts, creating a powerful partnership to transform communities into healthier places for kids.Īs the School Health Coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC), an Alliance intermediary partner, Erica Ayers provides professional development and support to help schools across the state create and sustain healthier environments for their students. Intermediary partner staff gain access to the Alliance’s customized professional development training, tools, resources and data that empower them to guide schools to improve physical activity and nutrition policies and practices. The Alliance helps build healthier schools by enlisting the help of regional and local partners. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program offers an evidence-based approach that guides schools to create, implement, and sustain healthy environments.
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