North Dickinson County School

By the end of the school year, our 7th grade students will be motivated to consume a variety of healthy foods and beverages, be physically active every day, and engage in healthy behaviors to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. These are the goals of the Building Healthy Communities: Engaging Middle Schools through Project Healthy Schools program which is being implemented this year. This will be implemented during their 1st hour Physical Education class.

North Dickinson is one of many new schools across the state starting the program this fall. Building Healthy Communities: Engaging Middle Schools through Project Healthy Schools is supported at North Dickinson by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the University of Michigan, and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

Building Healthy Communities: Engaging Middle Schools Through Project Healthy Schools is an evidence-based, school-wide program that works with schools to improve students’ health literacy, emotional wellness, and academic outcomes. Students will receive 10 hands-on lessons that promote physical activity, healthy eating, and an understanding of how nutrition and activity influence their lifelong health. These lessons will focus on 7th grade students; however, we will also pursue ways to promote health with the entire school community through wellness events and building changes that benefit all students. These school-wide efforts will promote healthier habits and allow students to practice the health literacy and gained skills they learned in the classroom. Once implemented at ND, the program continues year after year, creating a culture of health that benefits future generations.

The goals of the program are for students to:
· Consume a variety of healthy foods and beverages
· Be physically active every day
· Engage in healthy behaviors to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

“Anything we can do to fight childhood obesity in a culture where it is being fostered in so many ways is critical,” says Kim Eagle, M.D., A. Walter Hewlett professor of internal medicine and director of the Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan Health System. In 2004, Eagle founded Project Healthy Schools in collaboration with local organizations in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since then, the program has been implemented in over 175 middle schools across the state.

Project Healthy Schools is one of the few school-based programs nationally that have demonstrated significant improvements in both health behavior and cardiovascular risk factors. For more information about Project Healthy Schools visit www.projecthealthyschools.org.

Building Healthy Communities is a private-public initiative supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Fitness Foundation, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Team Nutrition, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, the University of Michigan, the Wayne State University Center for Health and Community Impact and Action for Healthy Kids.