By Andrew Hackmack
The district is continuing its partnership with Stony Brook University in the Heart Links program, designed to foster a lifestyle of healthy choices.
Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison said the program is funded by New York State and costs school district taxpayers nothing. In exchange, university officials get general student data which can be used in their own continuing research on children¹s health issues. The results of that research, Lison explained, will lead to the creation of even more programs school districts can use to promote health and wellness.
Leah Holbrook, a registered dietician with Stony Brook University, said there are 22 districts on Long Island participating the Heart Links program. She said that District 13 has been a great partner.
³Valley Stream has been at the forefront of making changes,² Holbrook said. ³They are a phenomenal model school.²
What the district has done best, Holbrook explained, is trying to change the culture to foster acceptance of these changes. One of the biggest initiatives underway is eliminating all celebration food in the classrooms. Parents can no longer send in any sort of food into school for a child¹s birthday.
Holbrook said that parents and guardians should have a level of control over what their children eat. But they lose that control, she said, when other people are sending food into class. She realizes this is a significant change in what students, teachers and parents are accustomed to.
³Once it actually happens,² she said, ³it¹s not as upsetting as we think it will be.²
Lison said that in explaining this new initiative to parents, many are supportive of it because they want to keep the control over what their children are eating. She has even begun to see a change at PTA meetings where sugary refreshments have been replaced with fruit salads and vegetables.
Last year through the program, Lison said each teacher was provided with a $20 gift certificate to purchase non-food celebration items.
Wheeler Avenue Elementary School Principal Christine Zerillo said this initiative in no way means that they will stop celebrating birthdays in the classroom.
³We¹re still going to have a celebration,² she said. ³We¹re just going to have it in a different way.²
Zerillo said some suggested items that parents could send it include stickers and pencils. They could also have the child bring in their favorite book and read it aloud to the class. As they move through this transition, she imagines the students will come up with even more ideas to celebrate without food.
Lison said there is a significant need for a meaningful wellness policy in schools because the generation of children now is the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Eating habits and lack of exercise have raised the rate of childhood obesity to a level of great concern.
Also as part of the wellness initiative is the push to include more physical activity in each child¹s daily life. Rob Primeggia said the district¹s participation in Heart Links program has had an impact on the curriculum. While physical fitness has always had its place in the schools, now teachers are strongly promoting regular exercise.
³There are lifetime activities that we try to teach,² Primeggia said. ³It¹s not just about sports.²
Every Valentine¹s Day, children participate in the annual Jump Rope for Heart which raises money for the American Heart Association and encourages physical fitness. Primeggia said jump roping is one of those activities which seems simple, but when done regularly goes a long way. He said there are numerous other activities they teach which children can do outside of school with family, friends or by themselves.
Zerillo said that physical fitness is taught throughout the school day. During recess, activities often reflect what children have been learning in the classroom. The science curriculum is full of lesson on making healthy life choices. There is also a walking club and after-school sports program.
³We really try to give them many opportunities to maintain a high level of fitness,² Zerillo said. ³It¹s wonderful that the school can play an important role.²
Zerillo also said the PTA plays a big role in the program. For each of the last four years the organization has sponsored Eat Healthy Week, bringing professional athletes to talk about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.
Holbrook said the Heart Links program is funded through 2010, which is good news for participating school districts. She said the university will offer schools much support as they design and initiate new wellness programs.
It¹s a big commitment on everyone¹s part to create a wellness policy that works, Holbrook explained. So far, she said, members of the District 13 school community have shown an eagerness to promote healthy lifestyles.
