Five Monett schools named to Healthiest Schools in America
Central Park Elementary students work in one of the schools gardens, learning about and farming produce. Pictured above, from left to right, Marlen Barrientos, fourth grade teacher Erin Meng, Dylan Thomas, Jaxon Stout, Brilynn Doss, Jamen Thomas, Autumn Massardo and Khegan Gorman.
October 2, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
Over the last few years, the Monett School District made the health and safety of their students a top priority. The district was recently rewarded for their efforts by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which named all five schools in the district to their 2019 List of America’s Healthiest Schools.
This list includes 355 schools across the country that met the criteria for awards, with 32 of them coming from Missouri. The list is comprised of schools that go above and beyond to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
For their continued efforts in those fields, all five schools in the district were awarded recognition. Monett Middle School and Monett Elementary were awarded silver level recognition, two of only 49 schools in the country. Monett High School, Central Park Elementary and Monett Intermediate were all awarded bronze level recognition.
Efforts to improve healthy eating and physical activity were undertaken by all members of the district from the administration to the students, as well as the community. The district also worked with Healthy Schools Healthy Communities (HSHC), a Missouri foundation with the goal of taking a multifaceted approach to make communities healthier.
In order to make the district a healthier place, the school implemented and revived several student programs.
Monett’s administration has several before- and after-school programs geared toward physical fitness. Students arriving before the start of class on all campuses have an opportunity to take part in the Morning Mile, a daily walk in both indoor and outdoor facilities.
The school implemented after-school programs that often feature volunteers from the community. According to Alex Severs, HSHC school wellness coordinator, these programs have in featured instruction in yoga, Crossfit and taekwondo, all from local instructors.
The district also began work on a farm-to-table program, taking outdoor gardens and hydroponic indoor gardens and using them for both educational and dietary purposes. The gardens are managed by school sponsored organizations like the Monett FFA and Monett agricultural classes. According to Severs, the school is currently working with the Go Caps program at the high school to maintain the program and devise a way to integrate the produce generated by the gardens into school meals.
Breakfast was a concern for the administration. Recently, the district began allowing students to take their breakfast foods with them to the classroom before the start of class. According to Severs, this move was to help encourage students to eat breakfast by removing complications and stigmas regarding eating in the cafeteria before the start of classes.
The community has played a big role in making the district a more healthy environment for students. The City of Monett, in conjunction with Monett School District, established several walking and biking trails in the routes leading to the campus. These paths are marked by street signs denoting that students are on a safe path to the campus.
Employees of the district also had a hand in the awards, thanks to a health insurance program now being offered to them. In this voluntary program, employee wellness is examined through a series of metrics, and better premiums are awarded to employees who improve their health. According to Severs, this acts as an encouragement for the teachers to serve as healthy role models for their students.
Severs went on to explain that the district as a whole feels excited about the awards and plans to continue their efforts to make the campus as healthy and safe for students as humanly possible.
For more information about the various healthy initiatives underway at Monett, contact the district at (417) 235-7422.
For more information about Healthy Schools Healthy Communities, visit their website at https://mffh.org.
Vinnie Roberts
Over the last few years, the Monett School District made the health and safety of their students a top priority. The district was recently rewarded for their efforts by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which named all five schools in the district to their 2019 List of America’s Healthiest Schools.
This list includes 355 schools across the country that met the criteria for awards, with 32 of them coming from Missouri. The list is comprised of schools that go above and beyond to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
For their continued efforts in those fields, all five schools in the district were awarded recognition. Monett Middle School and Monett Elementary were awarded silver level recognition, two of only 49 schools in the country. Monett High School, Central Park Elementary and Monett Intermediate were all awarded bronze level recognition.
Efforts to improve healthy eating and physical activity were undertaken by all members of the district from the administration to the students, as well as the community. The district also worked with Healthy Schools Healthy Communities (HSHC), a Missouri foundation with the goal of taking a multifaceted approach to make communities healthier.
In order to make the district a healthier place, the school implemented and revived several student programs.
Monett’s administration has several before- and after-school programs geared toward physical fitness. Students arriving before the start of class on all campuses have an opportunity to take part in the Morning Mile, a daily walk in both indoor and outdoor facilities.
The school implemented after-school programs that often feature volunteers from the community. According to Alex Severs, HSHC school wellness coordinator, these programs have in featured instruction in yoga, Crossfit and taekwondo, all from local instructors.
The district also began work on a farm-to-table program, taking outdoor gardens and hydroponic indoor gardens and using them for both educational and dietary purposes. The gardens are managed by school sponsored organizations like the Monett FFA and Monett agricultural classes. According to Severs, the school is currently working with the Go Caps program at the high school to maintain the program and devise a way to integrate the produce generated by the gardens into school meals.
Breakfast was a concern for the administration. Recently, the district began allowing students to take their breakfast foods with them to the classroom before the start of class. According to Severs, this move was to help encourage students to eat breakfast by removing complications and stigmas regarding eating in the cafeteria before the start of classes.
The community has played a big role in making the district a more healthy environment for students. The City of Monett, in conjunction with Monett School District, established several walking and biking trails in the routes leading to the campus. These paths are marked by street signs denoting that students are on a safe path to the campus.
Employees of the district also had a hand in the awards, thanks to a health insurance program now being offered to them. In this voluntary program, employee wellness is examined through a series of metrics, and better premiums are awarded to employees who improve their health. According to Severs, this acts as an encouragement for the teachers to serve as healthy role models for their students.
Severs went on to explain that the district as a whole feels excited about the awards and plans to continue their efforts to make the campus as healthy and safe for students as humanly possible.
For more information about the various healthy initiatives underway at Monett, contact the district at (417) 235-7422.
For more information about Healthy Schools Healthy Communities, visit their website at https://mffh.org.
