Healthier at Holland Central School District

Holland Central School District
Holland, New York
Erie County (Western Zone)
30 minutes from the city of Buffalo

1,200 students

 

Issue

Obesity has tripled among teenagers and doubled among children 6 – 11 years of age over the last 20 years. Obesity increases the risk of many chronic diseases including; cardiovascular disease, diabetes and various cancers such as breast and colon cancer. Diets high in saturated fat, excess calories and sodium can contribute to the development of chronic diseases.

In 2004, the Holland Central School District had 28.6 percent of students fall into the overweight or obese range. In addition, 58 percent of boys and 71 percent of girls 1st – 12th grade scored below the 50th percentile in the “President’s Challenge Fitness Test.” Holland students were making poor nutritional choices as well as following an extremely sedentary lifestyle.

 

Method

The Healthy Schools Leadership Institute (HSLI) is a five-year, professional development program that focuses on building organizational capacity for healthier schools; effectively advocating for healthier schools, using assessment strategies to evaluate the school environment, leading and motivating others responsible for school health promotion, managing coordination of healthier schools, and soliciting resources for the initiative. HSLI recruits schools to participate in the initiative; the Holland Central School District is one of nineteen that the HSLI has worked with since 2005.

Carol Propis, High School Physical Educator and Cindy Chynoweth, Elementary Educator with the Holland Central School District, joined the Healthy Schools Leadership Institute (HSLI) in spring 2005. They found that district administrators, staff, and parents were very interested in making changes, but considered student health and fitness someone else’s responsibility.

In June of 2005, Holland CSD completed the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Health Index, a self-assessment and planning tool used to improve school health and safety. The process brought faculty/staff, administration, the Board of Education, students, and the community together to discuss areas of strength and those that needed improvement. The main areas identified as needing improvement at all schools within the Holland Central School District were; Nutrition Services as well as increasing the variety of fitness activities available both before and after school.

 

Impact

The Holland Central School District has:

Established a District Wellness Committee that meets at least 4 times a year;
Established a High school and middle school Student Wellness Committee responsible for creating and implementing surveys on student food choice, advertising the salad bar, and presenting lessons to elementary and middle school level students on healthy eating;
Developed a Comprehensive Wellness Policy with the District Wellness Committee’s input;
Hired a Certified Dietician as Food Service Coordinator in the district;
Removed high-sugar/high-fat items from the breakfast and lunch program;
Implemented healthy grab and go bags, with fruit and whole grain products to increase breakfast consumption at the high and middle school level;
Installed a salad bar and started offering healthy wraps twice a week at the high school;
Started selling only low-fat and fat-free milk;
Began phasing in 100 percent whole-wheat rolls, brown rice, and pasta;
Required that at least 75 percent of a la carte snacks offered be baked, reduced-fat, or multigrain;
Incorporated pedometer challenges at all levels, including staff pedometer races;
Incorporated a daily 10 minute activity period at the middle school and activity of the month at the high school;
Worked with Buffalo State Center for Health and Social Research since 2007 to improve the methods and instruments used in the assessment, programming, and evaluation of our initiatives;
Worked with the Community Alliance to provide Fit and Fun activities to further promote physical activity;
Improved birthday party offerings such as having parents bring in fruit kabobs instead of cupcakes;
Received a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant in 2007 to improve physical activity offerings and nutritional choices within the district. This grant allowed the district to purchase equipment for a state-of-the-art fitness center for both student and community use;
Created physical fitness opportunities in the elementary through K.A.R.T. (Kids are runners too) and Project A.C.E.S. (All Children Exercise Simultaneously);
Participated in the Think Breakfast program in the elementary school;
Created an “electronics room” in the elementary school open to all containing: Xerdance Nintendo Wii Fit, Moonwalker, and exercise bikes;
Surveyed the middle school students through the Student Health Council about nutritional offerings;
Implemented a team triathlon and field days activities with middle school students;
Expanded fitness center hours before, during, and after school for high school students; and
Created a tennis club in the spring and fall for high school students.


Importance of Impact

Holland CSD has recognized that student health and fitness is everyone’s responsibility. Healthy school environments allow students to establish healthy habits that last a lifetime as well as encourage faculty and staff to be healthier.

With the 2007 Carol M. White PEP grant, Holland was able to track Body Mass Index (BMI) rates throughout the district and execute the "Presidents Challenge Fitness Test". The activity surveys given throughout all school levels have shown improvement in all areas with the exception of BMI in high school girls. This group is the most difficult to reach, subsequently Hollands' program this year focuses almost entirely on high school students. They will offer presentations on Healthy Eating and Nutrition for athletes. They will also have three separate weeks of wellness, incorporating non-traditional activities with guest instructors and demonstrations (Hip Hop dancers from the local college, Gladiator competitions, etc.).

 

Keys to Success

Creating district and building-level teams early on helped create enthusiasm and momentum for this initiative. It also helped foster teamwork, offerred varied input and suggestions, and spread the work among many.
Future Plans

Holland CSD plans to continue to increase activity levels and offer healthier foods while sustaining the in-house lunch program. They will also work to advocate for the hiring of an ‘official’ Wellness Coordinator which would lead to better implementation of the Wellness policy. Currently it is managed by teachers volunteering their time with no administrative degree.

 

Words of Wisdom: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle (384-322 BC)

 

For more information about health and wellness at Holland Central School District, contact:

Carol Propis, Physical Educator

Holland Central School District

103 Canada Street

Holland, NY 14080

Phone: 716-537-8200

E-Mail: cpropis@holland.wnyric.org

 

For information about the Healthy Schools Leadership Institute, contact:

Stephanie Gray, Program Director

Healthy Schools Leadership Institute

NYS Association for Health,

Physical Education, Recreation and Dance

Phone: 518.568.5764

E-mail: sgray@nysahperd.org