Schools putting a focus on wellness
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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Thursday, January 31, 2008 |
Dan Dunn keeps track of distances walked by Eisenhower Elementary School children in Davenport and notes that they have logged 2,000 miles so far.
The school’s outdoor exercise program is on hiatus until the weather improves, but Eisenhower sponsors it to encourage children to reach personal fitness goals by walking around the building grounds.
Last fall, Dunn, a physical education teacher, said three students logged more than
40 miles each.
“Little kids don’t really understand the distances involved,” he said, noting that the walking course is marked off in quarter-mile segments. “They do get more interested when it’s all mapped out.”
The initiative is one of many in Scott County school districts that aim to promote fitness and increase wellness for the area’s youngest residents.
Representatives from four public school districts — Bettendorf, Davenport, North Scott and Pleasant Valley — met recently to assess the programs, which have been in place for about 18 months.
“You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it,” Jennifer Best told the group, which filled a meeting room to capacity. Best, with the Iowa State University Extension in Scott County, helped coordinate the assessment along with Scott County Kids and Genesis Medical Center.
Each district has by now:
n Offered breakfast, lunch and snacks that meet federal nutrition standards and include low-fat choices, whole-grain breads, fresh fruits, vegetables and salad bars.
n Replaced the soda pop with water and fruit juice in vending machines.
n Restricted access to snack vending machines to specific times.
n Offered wellness instruction through the sixth-grade level.
Some of the changes are significant, including the vending machine adjustments that mean a loss of revenue to the Bettendorf and Davenport districts. “But sales are picking up,” said Melanie Gellhaus, a nurse at Bettendorf High School.
Students are no longer able to eat lunch out of vending machines because the schools lock them, Best said, noting that students have resisted having such choices taken away.
Schools offer nutritious improvements in the a la carte selection over the noon hour. “It looks like the mall food court with all the choices available,” she said.
Challenges include pricey products, student acceptance — which officials agreed is improving — as well as ongoing oversight and monitoring efforts, and the time available to implement programs such as nutrition education in junior high and high schools, as well as more gym class offerings.
“We need to try and wrap our brains around how this wellness initiative actually works. What does it look like?” Best asked.
Students seem to understand the wellness messages, said Karen Farley, a spokesperson for the Davenport School District. She noted that “out-of-the-box” ideas include a Wellness Night at Adams Elementary School, which is slated Feb. 5.
Other suggestions include communicating with parents through the teachers and by e-mail, and an elementary school-level “movie night” with popcorn and water as the refreshments.
Assessment officials were pleased with the session. “It’s not unusual to have community forums about wellness policies,” Best said, “but it is unusual that we live in a community that has four public school districts and that these districts work together to share knowledge and information. It’s a credit to them,” she added.
Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com.
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