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MIDVALE —When you send your kids off to school, you expect them to learn math, science, and language arts.
At East Midvale Elementary, the staff has added health consciousness to the list of subjects students and their families will learn about over the course of the school year.
On a spring evening, it looks like a party at the school, but instead of cake and ice cream, they’re serving up a healthy dose of fun. Lily Neff, a student at East Midvale, says, “If you’re not healthy, you can get real sick.”
School administrators know Lily’s observation is a fact, and that’s why they have made health a priority. “When we have healthy students, we have less absences and less tardies,” says Justin Pitcher, principal of East Midvale Elementary.
And healthy kids equal happier teachers. “It actually cuts down on the behavioral challenges we have in the classroom,” says Pitcher. But, Pitcher strongly believes that healthy habits must be reinforced at home.
So, the school hosts a Family Health and Fitness Night. “It’s a fantastic thing we look forward to every year now,” says Pitcher. The community resources the school taps into for the event are also important for the kids’ and their families’ understanding of what it means to live and be healthy.
During the Health and Fitness event, “Hula-hoops and basketball and dancing and bowling and all other sorts of fun things go on in the hallways,” says Pitcher. Neff likes the changes from a regular school day saying, “It’s a really fun event even if your legs can get tired from all the running around.”
Neff’s father, Michael, is new to the school and district but already likes what he sees. “I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the community involvement and the family involvement the school has really tried to push," he said.
The Health and Fitness Night is just one of many healthy initiatives the school hopes will inspire students and their families to make better choices. “So, we also encourage active play and we encourage healthy eating,” says Pitcher.
Lily Neff is already catching onto the healthy ideas and taking them home with her. She says, “I’m going to eat the right kind of food every day now and three meals a day.” Jenniffer is a Special Projects Producer who heads up the Your Life Your Health, Zero Fatalities and High 5 initiatives. For questions, feedback or possible story ideas, please email jmichaelson@ksl.com.
