Category: School Health

JOHNSTOWN — New state and federal regulations and guidelines addressing wellness issues have swept through school systems, rewriting health, physical education, consumer sciences and school lunch programs.

Although some say the changes are making a difference, most agree that it takes more than rules.

“We have changed constantly over the 20-plus years I’ve been here,” Marian Boyer, food service director, said from Forest Hills High School.

“There is much more awareness among students, teachers and parents about food and nutrition.”

Selections now have less salt, more whole grains and less fat, John Smithmyer, food service director, said at Portage High School.

The number of a la carte items has been reduced drastically to encourage students to choose from the main selections.

“It is not hard to meet the requirements,” Smithmyer said. “It is hard to get the children to make the right choices. It is not something they do at home. Just exposing them here is not enough.”

School nurses are now required to measure and weigh all students, complete a body mass index and report to parents, along with information about obesity levels and dangers. Parents of children in or near the obese range are encouraged to work with family health-care providers, said Debbie Stutzman, school nurse for Berlin-Brothersvalley School District.

But that is not enough, declared Dr. Matthew Masiello, chief wellness officer at Windber Research Institute.

“It goes far beyond sending out the notices,” Masiello said.

“You need leadership at the school level.

“We will become successful in school when the leadership – whether it is the principal or the superintendent or someone else – commits themselves to addressing these issues.”

School lunch menus still have too many unhealthy foods, Masiello said, adding that healthy selections are not always well presented.

“Are you going to provide healthy choices, and unhealthy choices?” he asked. “It is a rare school where you can find a healthy meal.”

Masiello urges schools to involve parents by sending the school nurse or a hospital dietitian to parent-teacher organizations.

If school administrators and parents are concerned about grades and test scores, a student’s health is the first step.

“Exercise and nutrition are significant factors in regard to grades,” he said. “It will improve academic success of their children. That has been proven over and over again.”

Healthy teachers make the best instructors when it comes to wellness issues, Masiello said, urging teachers to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Schools are getting the message, Portage school nurse Lisa Dividock said. But there is a lot of inertia on the unhealthy side.

“Fast food, time management and the computer age have all taken their toll,” Dividock said. “The guidelines forced the parents and the teachers and the media to look at it.”

Many families face financial hardships when it comes to buying fresh fruits and vegetables or even getting gasoline to get to the doctor or participate in wellness programs, she added.

Dividock has seen improvements. Vending machines at Portage are are not as sugar-and-fat-filled as they once were, and they are shut off during the school day.

Treadmills, weight benches and other equipment at a new wellness center attract a significant number of students for workouts every morning, Portage Principal Ralph Cecere said.

“We are pleased with the turnout,” Cecere said.

A similar fitness center at Greater Johnstown Middle School is a big part of the success of the Trojan Afterschool Program, Principal Darren Buchko said.

About 130 students a day participate in the program, which also provides homework help; tobacco, drug and alcohol prevention; social responsibility awareness; and clubs geared to student interest. The program continues as Summer in the City after the school year, Buchko said.

“They are trying to get these kids ready,” Buchko said. “They are already exposed to potentially dangerous and harmful habits. We deal with everything from cyber issues like social networking dangers to what you’d call the old school issues of drugs and alcohol.”

Community Action Partnership, the Girl Scouts and Greater Johnstown YMCA provide programming during the after-school and summer programs.

It provides incentive for students to be active instead of sitting at home with electronic entertainment, YMCA fitness director Debbi Smith said.

“We are trying to get these kids to come in on the premise that moving around can be fun,” Smith said. “We have to get the kids out and let them be kids again.”

Collaborating with organizations such as the YMCA is one way schools are finding ways to provide more wellness programs without spending more tax dollars. Many have also found grant funding that supports fitness and nutrition initiatives.

At Forest Hills School District, grants brought mountain biking and fishing programs, Superintendent Edwin Bowser said.

“We do a lot of things in lifelong learning activities,” he said.

The high school also provides daily nutrition tips as a part of morning announcements and schedules special activity-promoting events throughout the year. A Pumpkin Run in the fall, for instance, featured an outdoor obstacle course over hay bales.

A fit-athon at Richland Elementary gets students excited about moving and exercising, said Tom Smith, assistant high school principal.

At Richland High School, the weight training and fitness center attracts a cross-section of students, Principal Brandon Bailey said.

When it comes to drug and alcohol prevention, students take the lead at Richland, Bailey said.

“We are pretty proud of the program,” Bailey said. “We have a group of high school students who do a lot of prevention, teaching the younger kids all about the evils of alcohol, tobacco and drug use. I think it’s a pretty effective program.”

Faculty members screen and train participating high school students, he explained.

At Rockwood School District, teachers are setting an example through a Rockwood Biggest Loser competition, school nurse Amanda Custer said. So far, the 25 participants have lost a combined 157 pounds.

Communication with parents through newsletters, school website postings and the media help boost wellness programs in Central Cambria School District, middle school Principal Kim McDermott said.

Recent examples include the NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 Challenge, a 10,000-steps program using pedometers, and the Hoops for Hearts program that doubles as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association.

**This article was published in the Tribune Democrat on 2/25/12

http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x843245185/Local-schools-adopt-fitness-nutrition-programs

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