Teacher, Rockport Elementary School

According to Darlene Trumbour, teacher at Rockport Elementary School, “If you feel strongly about doing something that is not currently being done, you have to make an effort to start it.” For the past 10 years Darlene has been involved in many grassroots efforts to improve student health, including piloting programs to incorporate movement breaks in the classroom, volunteering on the school’s Health and Wellness Committee and serving as a core member of the Social and Emotional Committee.

Darlene’s first project is also her favorite – the school garden. She not only designed and built 14 raised beds for the garden, but also leads after-school clubs for gardening, physical activity and sustainability efforts in the community. She works with the Food Service Director to incorporate student-grown food into the cafeteria and this year students harvested 400 pounds of lettuce, which the cafeteria served the following day. Darlene is also a founding member of the annual 5K fundraiser that has raised over $50,000 in the past six years to fund wellness programs at the school.

Currently, Darlene is working on the construction of a greenhouse and new classroom for health and wellness activities for the district. The project includes a studio space for yoga, dance, meditation and a classroom complete with a teaching kitchen to hold food science and biology classes.