“Dr. Palma is a master at achieving buy-in from the community, whether by recruiting staff members to take leadership roles on school wellness committees or meeting with stakeholders including parent organizations, district leaders and food service staff.”
Anthony Cacciola, Superintendent, West Babylon School District
Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Student Services, West Babylon SchoolsWest Babylon, New York
With Dr. Dominick Palma leading the charge, the West Babylon School District has made tremendous strides toward making its schools healthier places to learn and to work. Dr. Palma’s passionate support of wellness initiatives won over his colleagues, enabling him to clear administrative barriers to change and make wellness a priority for the district. As the chairperson of the district wide wellness committee, Dr. Palma secured a vital budget line devoted to wellness activities. He wrote a Safe Routes to School grant that resulted in a $434,000 award to the district and town government that paid for new sidewalks and bicycles as well as walking and riding to school activities.
Dr. Palma recognized that he had a large talent pool of individuals at all levels throughout the district who were interested in working on wellness goals and he made every effort to connect, motivate and encourage them to carry out their ideas. He has been especially successful at getting the most from teachers and district staff. He nurtured the school-based wellness committees and encouraged them to cross-pollinate ideas between schools. He assisted the Director of Physical Education in efforts to expand the obesity at-risk program and worked with the Food Service Director and staff to improve the offerings in the school cafeteria. Dr. Palma is determined to continue to improve and expand wellness programs. Next year, he would like to create a coordinated program of employee wellness that reaches all staff members and reflects “best practices” from each school. Other plans include instituting a student ambassador program comprised of students at all grade levels who will become the driving force for additional healthy changes.
For his ability to connect multiple entities, and to persuade, inspire and lead, Dr. Dominick Palma is a deserving recipient of the Healthy Schools Program Champion Award.
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