USD 408 earns Healthy School Award years ago
By JESSICA BERNHARDT
Staff writer
Marion-Florence USD 408 recently received a Healthy School Award as part Governor Kathleen Sebelius' Healthy Kansas program.
Janice Waner, school nurse, said Ginger Becker's leadership students at Marion Elementary School were the ones who really got the ball rolling for the program. They saw students in other states were working toward becoming healthy schools and wanted to do the same.
To start the program the school had to fill out applications that explained what they did to promote healthiness. Waner said, "We had to promote staff wellness, physical activity, and nutrition education."
Waner also said the school has to promote local wellness and develop a plan on how to address it. For example, limit the number of vending machines in the schools and what items are on al a carte menus.
The school district is part of the Coordinated School Health Program which is administered by the Kansas Department of Education and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
In an effort to become a healthy school, the elementary hosted monthly Family Fun Nights which students and families spent the night in the gym and participated in activities and healthy eating. The school also has Wellness Wednesdays for district staff, 30 minutes of physical education each day for students, and has district-wide scavenger hunts to emphasize physical education and nutrition. The school sends out newsletters to parents that cover a variety of topics, has nutrition fairs, and the district staff receives healthy snacks.
Waner thanked the Board of Education and all faculty and staff for their support in the program. "They are very supportive of what we do," she said.
The award was presented to the school at 10:15 a.m. Thursday in the elementary school gym. Roderick Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, presented the award on behalf of Governor Sebelius. Along with a certificate, a Healthy Kansas flag was presented to representatives of the elementary, middle, and high schools.
