H E A LT H . M O V E S . M I N D S .
Join the Nationwide Launch of By Yasmeen Taji-Farouki
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very day, health and physical educators witness children and adolescents struggling with their physical and mental health. Anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions are on the rise. That’s why SHAPE America partnered with Gopher to launch the health. moves. minds.™ program. The program’s educational focus is on mental wellness and empowerment, with a strong emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion. It provides health and physical education teachers with lessons, activities, and community-building ideas that can help students thrive physically and emotionally. Through standards-based physical education and skills-based health education lessons, students can learn that taking care of their mind and body, while also being kind, will help them live their best life. PROACTIVE APPROACH In many school settings, support around mental health is often addressed by a counselor or specialist … through one channel in the school … in a reactive manner. One of the reasons the health. moves. minds. program is so special is that it offers a proactive solution — helping schools address mental health topics through physical activity in a school-wide setting, which fosters stronger unity and support within students’ peer groups. Ann Paulls-Neal, SHAPE America Board of Directors member and physical education teacher at Wherry Elementary School in Albuquerque, NM, piloted the program last spring — and recognized the impact on her students immediately. 18
Momentum • Fall 2019
Students at Wherry Elementary take a Mindful Minute before class starts.
“After the first lesson, I could really see kids make that connection between what they were doing and the concept behind it,” says Paulls-Neal. “Mindfulness was a hard lesson for my kids to really calm their mind and calm their body, but once they got it, you could see that they felt better.” When the health. moves. minds. lessons are incorporated into the curriculum, students learn that everyone has complex, sometimes challenging emotions and there are skills and strategies to better manage those emotions. The program helps health and physical educators teach those social and emotional skills, while also fostering a love of physical activity. Teachers can easily modify each lesson to meet their students’ specific needs — or use the lesson in its entirety. FLEXIBLE FUNDRAISING The health. moves. minds. pilot schools loved having the flexibility to fundraise in whatever way would make the biggest impact on their school — while also providing an option to give back to the community.
The health. moves. minds. program provides schools with an easy-to-use online platform with two fundraising options: • O ption 1: 50% of funds raised from the school’s program benefits the school directly in the form a Gopher gift card, which never expires! Use the money to purchase health and physical education equipment or school wellness resources for your school. Schools selecting this option will also receive a special matching bonus from Gopher — an additional 10% of total funds raised! • Option 2: “Pay it forward” and make an impact in your community by selecting a local charity to split the funds raised by your school. Schools selecting this option will receive 25% of funds raised from your school’s program in the form a Gopher gift card. The remaining 25% will go to the local charity of choice in the form a check from SHAPE America on the school’s behalf.
Whichever option is selected, the impact goes even further! The remainder of the funds raised will help support health and physical education programs and advocacy at the local, state and national levels. For Archbishop Bergan Catholic School in Fremont, NE, the combination of the program’s educational aspects and giveback to the school made all the difference in deciding to pilot the health. moves. minds. program. “When I asked our principal, his first comment was ‘absolutely’ because there’s nothing out there like it,” says physical education teacher Wyatt Morse. “He was on board because he could see the big picture with this program for the students and the chance to help school wellness with the funding opportunity through Gopher.” BUILDING COMMUNITY In addition to offering educational and online fundraising components, the health. moves. minds. program also gives schools the opportunity to hold a school-wide or community-wide event. Events can be simple or elaborate — and tailored to the school’s size and schedule. The program’s pilot schools structured their events in various ways to either meet students’ interest or a teacher’s personal preference. Sasha Taylor at Bell Creek Intermediate School in Bell Creek, OH,
Students and faculty from Odessa Upper Elementary School donate a portion of funds raised to their local charity, the Odessa Police Department K-9 Program.
started her program with a “Mind and Body Family Fun Night,” where she introduced the health. moves. minds. concepts to parents. “The kindness focus is huge,” says Taylor. “We love that aspect and our district is rolling out student action points so the program ties in very well with that. Being respectful, peaceful, problem-solving, kindness — all those topics tie in directly.” After incorporating the program lessons around kindness and mindfulness throughout a three-week period, Taylor held a celebratory event that included a “kindness warrior” obstacle course and was themed “Be a kindness warrior while you move like a ninja warrior.” Currently, the health. moves. minds. lessons are designed for grades K-8, but the program can be modified for the high school level. Bill Casey of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL, adapted the program to create a schoolwide “Serenity Week.”
“Each day had a different focus: kindness, mindfulness, empowerment, self-advocacy and gratitude,” says Casey. “We had people come in to lead tai chi, yoga and mindfulness activities, and students could select the activities that spoke to them.” Sign up for the health. moves. minds. program today and join us as we build a kinder, healthier future for our nation’s youth.
Pilot Program Results Last spring, 20 schools across the country participated in the health. moves. minds. pilot program. This cohort of schools included elementary, middle and high schools in rural, suburban and urban environments with a variety of demographics. Based on the feedback we received from these schools, we are confident that the health. moves. minds. program can benefit all students and schools — regardless of socioeconomic background or school environment.
healthmovesminds.org Students at Bell Creek Intermediate School participate in their school’s health. moves. minds.™ lessons and celebratory event.
Fall 2019 • Momentum
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