Palmetto Elementary School

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GA_PalmettoPalmetto, Georgia

Excitement for the Healthy Schools Program in Palmetto is high. According to Kim Statzer, coordinator of the school wellness council, “What an exciting process and transformation this has been for our school! When invited to participate in this program we had no idea what it was going to entail. We embarked on a healthy journey that is changing not only our school climate, but also individual lives.”

This journey has been personal for Statzer as well who feels that spearheading this movement in her school has helped her lose over 45 pounds. “I knew that to be an effective leader of this program, I needed to be a role model. It is easy to champion a program like this when you are doing it successfully yourself.” Statzer and her wellness council are both finding success when it comes to meeting their goals.

The council decided to focus on three main goals this year: becoming a sugar-free environment, providing activity breaks for students throughout the day and offering opportunities for staff to become healthier. Statzer said that due to strong administrative support at the school and district level, making changes in the food environment happened practically overnight and with relative ease. Faculty received training on how to incorporate more physical activity into the classroom and how to model healthy behaviors. They also started a staff wellness program with donated exercise equipment, a weight-loss challenge and a walking competition.

 

 

As a recipient of the  Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Award, this school reached an important benchmark in improving the learning and working environments of students and staff. By making significant changes in the areas of healthy eating, physical activity and staff wellness, this school has joined a growing movement of committed individuals and organizations that are working to combat childhood obesity and foster healthier communities. View all 2008-09 recognized schools >>

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