Get Your Game On, Owsley!

Description

After-School Program at the high-school level that incorporates physical activity, nutrition education, and healthy snacks.

Impact

Considering Owsley County, Kentucky, has a population of less than 5,000 people and the third lowest median income in the nation, it is often a challenge to come up with opportunities for indoor physical activity. There are no health clubs or local YMCAs. Since participating in activities like bowling and gymnastics requires funds and a 30-minute drive over hilly terrain to a neighboring county, it is safe to say Owsley County Schools serve as the hub of community recreation for its youth. Yet these adversities have not prevented Owsley County Schools from creating ways to promote good nutrition and physical activity when the kids are away from Owsley County High School. Sue Brunk, the School Health Coordinator, and Charolette Thompson, the Food Service Director, have worked together to bring a new after-school program to the school that will help keep kids off of the couch. The after-school program, which runs from 3-5pm, now has a 30-minute physical activity component in addition to a healthy snack. The students vote on what kind of activities they would like to participate in. They are also offering a cooking class which helps high school students create simple and healthy recipes out of whatever ingredients they have available. Brunk thinks it is important to give students these skills, "Schools do not offer Home Economics anymore, and we have several kids who go home to a house that maybe has one hot plate. How are they going to meet their nutritional needs with that? Here they can practice what they can do with the food that is donated to us and sent home with students in backpacks to supplement the food they already have," says Brunk. To kick off the new program, they brought the community together for a Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge one-day event. Game On! is an Action for Healthy Kids resource designed to motivate schools to put their wellness policies into action. The event provided students with a series of challenges that encouraged physical activity and good nutrition. They also hosted a health fair where community partners shared information on food, nutrition, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. These community partners also provided BMI and blood pressure screenings. Brunk set up a station called, "Let's Talk," where she described in detail the new after-school program that school would be offering. Sue emphasized to students that the choices you make today affect your health tomorrow. She had them take time to write down some wellness goals. "I can't choose the wellness goals for each student, but I can inform them on how to achieve the ones they set," says Brunk. With funding from the Action for Healthy Kids-Kellogg's Team Grant Program, Kentucky Action for Healthy Kids (KY AFHK) provided Owsley County Schools with $6,000 to help create a healthier school environment during the 2008-09 School Year. Having also partnered with the Healthy Schools Program (HSP) through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Owsley Co. Schools used these funds to implement their assessment-driven action plan. Through KY AFHK's and the HSP's collaborative work with Owsley County Schools, they were able to improve wellness policies, health education, school meals, physical education, physical activity, competitive foods and beverages sold in the school, school employee wellness, and after-school nutritional and physical activity programming during the 2008-09 school year. Owsley County High School joined roughly 120 more schools from across the nation in receiving bronze-level recognition through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation at the Healthy Schools Forum held in New York City during August 2009, the first school in Kentucky to do so.