Advocacy and Persistance Pay Off at Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School

Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School District
Saint Johnsville, New York
Fulton County (Capital Zone)
Southern base of the Adirondack Park

380 students

 

Issue

Obesity has tripled among teenagers and doubled among children 6 – 11 years old in the last 20 years. Obesity increases the risk of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. Diets high in saturated fat, excess calories and sodium can contribute to the development of chronic diseases.

 

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 this initiative. HSLI recruits schools to participate in the initiative. The Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School District is one of nineteen that the HSLI has worked with since 2005.

Cheryl Brown, School Nurse and Derek Milianta, Health Educator were accepted into the Healthy Schools Leadership Institute in the Spring of 2005. After attending the first professional development, Cheryl used all the information and resources gathered to begin advocating for healthier students and staff to administrators, Board of Education members, and anyone else who would listen. Oppenheim-Ephratah started by forming a representative Healthy School Team consisting of administrators, health educator, school nurse, other educators, staff, and community members. During the school year, the team meets the first Tuesday of each month to look at data and drive programming efforts.

 

Impact

Since 2005, Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School:

Had the Board of Education appoint a Healthy School Coordinator with an approved job description
Completed a needs assessment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Health Index) and developed action plans based on this assessment, as well as, the New York State Healthy STARS checklist;
Developed a wellness policy to improve physical activity and nutritional offerings in the district;
Surveyed staff in relation to wellness needs and implemented programs to support their needs (staff walking program);
Provided staff with a 1/2 day professional development related to health and wellness - staff learned how to create healthy and quick meals, had an opportunity for physical activity, ability to get vital statistics (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol) recorded, and attended presentations by the American Red Cross for Emergency Preparedness, American Cancer Society on annual medical screenings, and Yoga/meditation;
Provided a health community agency awareness event for community members to see what agencies exist in the area and their purpose. This was held during Open House;
Implemented a water policy in grades 9 - 12 allowing students to bring approved water bottles into the classroom to stay hydrated;
Adopted a Tobacco- Free Policy;
Planned and implemented a wellness day for PreK - 2, and 6 - 12 grades (these are held every other year);
Phased in wheat bread and rolls, lowfat milk, daily offering of salad and fresh fruit in season; and
Improved vending machine offerings - fresh fruit, water, milk, baked chips, etc.



Importance of Impact

Healthy school environments allow students to establish healthy habits that last a lifetime and encourage faculty and staff to be healthier, too. Oppenheim-Ephratah recognizes this by involving key people in the process and providing them with the tools needed to improve their environment. Getting people involved in what they will be affected by makes change easier.

 

Keys to Success

Cheryl Brown believes the most important factor in success is being persistent! It is important to advocate and get administration on board early in the process. If administrators are involved, others tend to follow their lead. Completing the School Health Index was also instrumental in identifying areas in need of improvement and helped get key people involved. Finally, finding supportive people from inside and outside the school to assist in making changes is key. When people start to see positive results, change happens.

 

Future Plans

In the next five years, Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School plans to revist the School Health Index to evaluate progress and determine future areas of improvement. They also plan to review their District Wellness Policy and continue working on making better nutritional choices available for all.


Words of Wisdom: "Change takes time and patience. When key people (administrators) see the need, change will occur. Your job is to help them see the need." Cheryl Brown

 

For more information about health and wellness at Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School District, contact:

Cheryl Brown, School Nurse, Healthy School Coordinator

Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School District

6486 State Highway 29

Saint Johnsville, NY 13452

Phone: 518.568.2014 x112

E-Mail: brownc@oecs.k12.ny.us

 

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