Focusing On School-Based Health And Wellness
By the Pennsauken Board of Education: Nick Perry, President; Diane Johnson, Vice President; Michael Bortnowski; Cheryl Duffy; Michael Hurley; Maria James; Orlando Viera; JoAnn Young; and Mike Trost
Public school systems play a vital role in the promotion of health and wellness for their student body. With over 50 million children enrolled in the public school system in the United States, school districts have the opportunity to promote healthy behaviors, reinforce the importance of health education, and can empower students to develop good habits that will be sustained well into adulthood. The Pennsauken Board of Education recognizes the importance of school-based health initiatives and is open to exploring any option that will increase not just the health of the students, but the entire Pennsauken community.
On Oct. 17, under the leadership of Keith Meloni, the Pennsauken School District hosted their first monthly Wellness Committee meeting at Pennsauken High School. Attendees included teachers from Pennsauken, as well as community residents and a representative from the Pennsauken Board of Education. Over 30 different stakeholders were in attendance to discuss the School District’s wellness initiatives, existing policies, future programs, and network with the goal of creating a healthier environment for students and faculty.
The committee discussed the existing school wellness policy and will create a wellness coordinator for all designated locations in the District. This is being implemented with the intent to be able to address all of the unique health and wellness needs of each site, while being able to report back to the Pennsauken School District Wellness Committee. School-based healthcare initiatives were also brought to the table through a variety of different topics, such as the walking school bus program to increase physical activity of students; faculty wellness events for employee engagement; community/urban gardens; and creating monthly health topics that promote healthy living each month on the District’s website.
In addition, a representative from the Board of Education will be in attendance each month to act as a direct line of communication for all wellness topics.
Sustaining a healthy learning environment for both teachers and students is vital to the overall success of the District. Having a wellness committee within the school system assists the Board in addressing needs of the District and taking advantage of opportunities that may be available to help our students and faculty.
The next meeting of the Pennsauken School District Wellness Committee will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 6:00 p.m. in Pennsauken High School’s cafeteria. All members of the Pennsauken community are invited to attend and participate.
If you have any questions about the Wellness Committee, please reach out to kmeloni@pennsauken.net.
