SHIP 3 Accomplishments
Madelia Public Schools - coming soon!Fairmont Public Schools - coming soon!
St. James Public Schools - coming soon!
United South Central Schools - coming soon!
Blue Earth Area Schools - coming soon!
Martin County West Schools- coming soon!
Butterfield Public Schools- coming soon!
SHIP 2 Accomplishments
Madelia Schools
Madelia Schools
received $10,000 for physical activity and Farm2 School strategies. Shortly after receiving their UCare funding,
staff attended the Comprehensive Physical Activity Training and gleaned many
implementation ideas for the schools.
Immediately following the training, activity burst cards were purchased
for all elementary classrooms. Children
are performing yoga poses and doing breathing exercises. Totes and play equipment were purchased for
each classroom to use at recess. The
classrooms are responsible for the inventory of play equipment. Children are taking ownership in their
classroom equipment and there is less equipment loss, which has been a problem
in the past. Because students are frequently
required to stay indoors for recess, the elementary school purchased an LCD
projector and speakers to play exercise DVD’s
to keep the kids moving and active, especially during inside
recess. The gym is open to students before
school to provide similar experiences with exercise DVD’s. A Track and Field Day is hosted in the spring
and all students participate in at least four running or field activities. Track and Field Day was held in the rain this
year, but that did not dampen the children’s spirits. Madelia Elementary also collaborated with a
community group that is addressing Safe Routes to School, to offer a Bike Rodeo
with safety lessons. Several bikes were
donated for the event and raffled off to children who attended. Students also received bike reflectors for
attending the event.
With Farm 2 School
in its infancy stages, Madelia is taking rapid steps to grow foods that can be
prepared and served through the Food Service Department. A greenhouse with raised bed gardens was purchased
to begin growing fresh foods for school consumption. After getting a late start, the gardens will
not be fully ready for production until the 2014 growing season. The school hopes to grow a variety of foods,
including pumpkins. The school principal
intends to integrate the garden into school curriculum. A commercial food processor will be helpful
in preparing those farm fresh foods.
St. James Public Schools received $10,000 SHIP grant to work on improving physical activity throughout the school day and improving the quality of physical education in K-12. School physical education staff attended the SPARK Physical Education Curriculum Training held in June 2012. A few teachers were also trained on the SMART Program.
The school district utilized SHIP funding to purchase the curriculum and to provide stipends to their physical education teachers to organize and provide resources to classroom teachers to increase opportunities for physical activity in the classroom. In the elementary school, the physical education teacher organized a classroom “recess run” and challenged classrooms to take a break each day from teaching to go outside and run. Huge fitness results were seen in students whose classrooms participated. Mile run scores were recorded for students in the Fall and again in the Spring. Among students whose classroom participated in the program, 90% improved on their mile run scores, with several students cutting their mile run time in half.
St. James Schools has also been working with their Food Service to improve access to fruits and vegetables through the Farm to School (F2S) Program. Their food service has continued to introduce new locally grown fruits and vegetables into their school food service meals.
Blue Earth Area Schools
Blue Earth Area Schools received a $10,000 SHIP grant for SHIP 2 to work on sustaining nutrition policies passed in SHIP 1 and to improve physical activity during the school day. Blue Earth Area Schools worked with SHIP during the first grant period to improve the nutrition environment for students. The school passed a comprehensive wellness policy in SHIP 1, which was heavily focused on healthy eating. The school successfully received the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program during SHIP 1. In SHIP 2, the school reapplied, however only one of their two elementary schools qualified. Because of the success of the program and the work that happened with SHIP and nutrition in SHIP1, the school board decided to utilize school revenue to continue the program for the larger elementary school that did not qualify. To help implement more physical activity into the classroom, all teachers from both elementary schools participated in an active classroom challenge. The challenge encourages classrooms to compete for the Most Active Classroom Title. Classrooms kept track of points for doing physical activities, such as Jammin Minute and SMART Board activities. The classroom with the most points the week before received the traveling “golden shoe” trophy. Classrooms with the highest points also received prizes throughout the challenge. This challenge lasted for six weeks and afterwards, classrooms continued active classroom strategies. In addition to active classroom, al physical education teaches were trained in the SPARK curriculum and both the curriculum manuals and equipment was purchased for grades K-12. The school passed a revised wellness policy in June 2013 which included language encouraging the use of physical activity in the classroom.
United South Central Schools (USC)
USC Schools received $10,000 to begin revising their school wellness policy. The first step for USC was to reconvene the school wellness committee and to determine how to improve physical activity and healthy eating for students. The school decided to work on the active classrooms strategy, Farm to School (F2S), healthy eating environment at school and the Safe Route to School (SRTS) Program. For active school day, the SPARK physical education curriculum was introduced to the teachers and implemented in grades K-6 for phy-ed. All elementary staff attended the S.M.A.R.T. training and are implementing this program in grades K-6. S.M.A.R.T stands for Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training. The program is based on the idea that movement anchors learning and pairs academic skills with motor skills. USC continues to improve school nutrition work begun in SHIP 1. To advance Farm to School (F2S) advertisements were placed in the local papers in search of local foods for sale. Contacts were executed between the school district and three local growers to provide locally grown foods for the school lunch program. Equipment was purchased to facilitate cleaning and preparation of the foods. A team of 6 USC staff attended a School Administrators Training held in June and from that meeting a revised nutrition policy for classroom celebrations was presented in the Student Handbook and passed by the School Board. Students are also offered healthier vending machine options and work continues on replacing unhealthy options. Concessions as well are being examined and improved. USC also partnered with the Wells Area Active Living Coalition (WALC) to establish a Walking School Bus program and the school participated in a Walk to School Day this past year. USC and WALC have partnered and met regularly to plan safe routes for walking and biking to the new school site which will open in the Fall of 2014. SHIP 2 grants enabled partnership with Region 9 Development Commission and Bolton and Menk Engineering and with their assistance an infrastructure grant application was submitted to MnDOT. While not funded this round the grant application will be resubmitted at the next available funding opportunity. The USC SRTS team identified sidewalks needed to access the new school safely, as well as those needing replacement or repair and presented information to the City Council.
Martin County West Schools
Martin County West Schools received a $10,000 SHIP grant for SHIP 2 to work on sustaining nutrition policies passed in SHIP 1 and to improve physical activity during the school day. Martin County West Schools had already passed a comprehensive school wellness policy in SHIP 1, with an increased focus on improving healthy eating at school. In SHIP 2 the school focused on improving physical activity in the classroom and through physical education programs. All of the physical education teachers were trained in the SPARK curriculum and the school purchased curriculum and equipment for K-12 physical education programs. The school revised their wellness policy which included new language related to NASPE physical education standards, active classroom and recess. To help encouraged more physical activity in the classroom, teachers from the elementary school participated in an active classroom challenge. The challenge encourages classrooms to compete for the Most Active Classroom Title. Classrooms kept track of points for doing physical activities, such as Jammin Minute and SMART Board activities. The classroom with the most points the week before received the traveling “golden shoe” trophy. The challenge was highly successful among the 1st grade classrooms. MCW also partnered with Minnesota State University, Mankato nursing students to implement the LANA (Learning about Nutrition through Activities) program in grades 1 and 2. MCW also continues to implement their nutrition policies which include a prescribed list of healthy snack items in elementary school, healthier foods available for sale and education provided to students in the lunch line regarding healthy foods.
Fairmont Area Schools
Fairmont Area Schools decided
to create a youth wellness council for round 2 of SHIP. The council consisted
of 12-15 students between the ages of 8 and 12 who have passion for health.
These students attended a once a month meeting and discussed topics such as
Safe Routes to School, Active Classroom Activities, School Nutrition and School
Gardening. The students help come up with an idea for a new active classroom
policy which was presented to the school board in June, 2013. The policy stated
for every hour of seated time students will be allowed at least 3 minutes of
physical activity time, which could include a walking/stretching break or some
type of active classroom activity that gets the body moving. Classroom Activity
Cards were purchased for all teachers and staff so they can easily implement
this policy within their classrooms. The policy also suggested for inclement weather days that
the gym be open for students to receive the adequate amount of physical
activity needed for the day. The board will meet again later in 2013 to revise
and pass the policy. Fairmont PE Staff attended the SPARK training in June,
2012 and implemented the curriculum during the 2012-2013 school years. The
SPARK curriculum was well received by many students and staff of Fairmont. They
look forward to implementing this program for future years to come. Fairmont
has been seeing an increase in usage of SRTS and continues to advocate for safe
routes. This past spring Fairmont had over 40 students participate in National
Ride Your Bike to School Day
Truman Public SchoolsTruman Schools received a $1,000 technical assistance SHIP grant to help the school get a school wellness program started. CJFMW SHIP received additional funds from the UCARE Fund and as result; the school was awarded an additional $10,000 to fully implement strategies impacting school nutrition and physical activity. The school revised their school wellness policy to include food and beverage guidelines, nutrition and physical activity education for children and their families, and also created a staff wellness committee to develop, promote and oversee a comprehensive worksite wellness program. A team of physical education teachers attended the SPARK physical education training and have been also been actively implementing the active classrooms strategy. As a result, classrooms are now utilizing Jammin’ Minutes in grades K-6. In response to student requests for a vending machine a healthy vending machine was ordered and placed. Peaceful Playgrounds curriculum was purchased and implemented this Spring to promote active recess. The school is also exploring the Farm 2 School Program and the Safe Routes to School Program and has purchased of vests and supplies to ensure safety for kids crossing.
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SHIP Stories from the Field
February 2013
Windom Area Schools is partnering with their school’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) on a playground improvement project. The partnership began when the PTO approached the Wellness Committee about collaborating to improve student physical activity opportunities. Both groups easily agreed that working together to develop activity stations on the playground and to improve the sports equipment would be a perfect partnership. The Wellness Committee is interested in making sure that all children have the opportunity to be physically active during recess, while the PTO has funds available to financially support the change.The PTO has offered money to help support painting the activity stations, so a plan is being devised to best utilize the space available. That project will begin in the spring or summer of 2013, once the snow has melted and the weather cooperates for painting. In addition to the playground painting, the PTO has offered to purchase sports equipment. The elementary Physical Education Teacher is working to compile a list of equipment to support active recess. A cart was also purchased to store the sports equipment, and an eager do-it-yourself PTO Dad is building another cart by hand to save money.
This is a great example of the collaboration that can develop from two organizations working together with similar goals. Congratulations Windom Area Schools, we look forward to seeing the results of the Winfair Elementary School playground project!
On February 14, 2013 many of the students at Southwest Star Concept Elementary School in Heron Lake were dressed in red, not only because it was Valentine ’s Day, but also to commemorate Jump Rope for Heart. Southwest Star Concept Elementary School hosted Jump Rope for Heart activities in cooperation with the American Heart Association. This was the 15th year the school has participated, and the elementary students raised $2348 to support the American Heart Association’s work to fight heart disease. In addition to their fundraising, the students participated in jump rope activities. Kindergarten through fourth grader students got their hearts racing at jump rope stations and in contests, where one student jumped rope nearly 300 times without stopping. The fifth and sixth grade students worked together in groups for a couple weeks developing jump rope routines. On Valentine’s Day, those students presented the routines to the student body and community members who came to watch. Posters that the students made were hung throughout the school to express the importance of heart health and exercise.
The event is a good reminder for children to stay active, keep their hearts pumping vigorously and to have fun with exercise. Donna Cook, Physical Education Teacher at Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary hosted the event and was proud of the children and their jump rope routines and fundraising efforts. Cook is leading the efforts at the HLO Elementary to increase physical activity among all children and to develop a comprehensive physical activity program within the district.
December 2012
Fairmont Area Schools held its first Youth Wellness Committee meeting on Friday, December 6th. The Committee consisted of 10 students between the ages of 8 and 12. The Youth Wellness Committee is designed to give students a voice on healthy changes for their school. We wanted to hear from a students’ perspective how they feel about school nutrition and active school day activities. These 10 students are very passionate about health and are looking forward to helping their school make changes to their wellness policies. Students will meet once a month, focusing on different topics at each meeting. In January, students will spend time focusing on school nutrition. CJFMW SHIP is excited to see the outcome of having students lead the healthy efforts in their school!
Students from
United South Central Schools Participating in Wells Walking Wednesday- part of
their Safe Routes to Schools Program.
- A safe method for students crossing Hwy 22
- New sidewalks in identified priority routes
- Repair of existing sidewalks in priority routes
Scott Thompson, MnDOT District
7 Traffic Engineer attended the November meeting to talk about options for
traffic control on Hwy 22. He brought
information on RRFB (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) as one option for safe
crossing of Hwy 22. An HSIP grant has
been submitted requesting funding for the RRFB.
A recent community survey of
the top 5 destinations in the community confirmed that safe access to the
schools in our community is a priority, but also how safe routes will benefit
other walkability aspects of the community. The Active Living Wells
Comprehensive Plan has been updated to reflect the community responses. On December 10 the committee will present
information to the City Council to secure their support of the application and
plan. The public will be invited to an
informational meeting January 23 from 5-7 pm at the Wells Community Building.
The Minnesota Department of Health and SHIP offered a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) training at Jackson County Central Schools on November 15. The training was open to all districts within Cottonwood, Jackson, Watonwan, Faribault and Martin Counties. The day-long event was facilitated by a certified training for the National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NAPSE), Georgi Roberts. Roberts is the Director of Health and Physical Education for the Fort Worth Independent School District. With more than 40 people in attendance, the goal of the training was to develop a comprehensive plan for physical activity with staff, and through before and after school programs, physical activity in the classroom and recess, as well as physical activity extending beyond the school day to bring families and community together in a healthy way.
Because all kids need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, schools need to be creative to create a culture where physical activity is welcome and part of the school day. Time for physical activity does not decrease academic achievement; rather it removes barriers to learning. Research shows physical activity during school can reinforce and link classroom content, and facilitates retention, concentration and on-task behavior. Roberts offered practical ways for schools to change the way they do things and focus on healthier activities. Some examples included adding Jammin’ Minute physical activities twice or more each day to get kids up and moving; drop in activity time for middle school and high school kids where activities are available such as Boo-Boo Volleyball and Cardio Four Square; evaluating fundraising efforts to eliminate selling cookie dough and instead trying to plan a walk-a-thon (one school with 700 children raised more than $34,000 from one walk-a-thon!); try recess before lunch and schedule classes that kids struggle with right after lunch; develop an award program such as the “bronzed sneaker trophy” that can be moved monthly to the class demonstrating the most physical activity in their day; incorporate movement into meetings either through frequent activity breaks or through walking meetings; develop walking school buses; plan Fitness Friday and encourage parents and kids to walk together, or host a field day for families.
September 2012
Have you been by Riverside Elementary at Jackson County Central? If so, you'd surely notice their brightly painted recess area to encourage more physical activity at recess time! Additionally, the school is working on Farm to School, and have involved students in the food prep by using their 'manpower' to husk the corn for lunch. They have implemented a new snack cart with healthy items for students and are implementing physical activity cards in the classroom to get students moving more during the day! Check out the photos below!August 2012
Congratulations to Martin
County West School for passing a comprehensive wellness policy that
implements nutrition and physical activity standards. Of particular note are
two new areas in their revised policy: For every 1 hour of class time, students
must have at least 3 minutes of physical activity or a cumulative of at
least 15 minutes per day outside of PE as well as language supporting NASPE (National Association for Sports and Physical Education) standards for physical education. Way to go MCW!!
June 2012
Fairmont Area Schools hosted the SPARK Middle School and High School Trainings on June 6th and 7th 2012. Dr. Kristy Hilton lead both fun and active filled training days! Schools that participated in the trainings included, Fairmont Area Schools, Blue Earth Area, Martin County West, Jackson County Central, St. James, St. Paul Lutheran, Windom Area Schools, Southwest Star Concept and St. Casimirs. The training provided the schools with activities and assessments to make their physical education classes a more active and fun environment. These schools were provided with a Middle School workshop and a High School workshop. Each day consisted of new and exciting activities that were specific to each age group. During the trainings the schools were able to come together and discuss how they were currently running their programs and how SPARK will fit into their own programs. SPARK’s mission is to improve the health of children and adolescents by disseminating evidence-based physical activity and nutrition programs that provide curriculum, staff development, follow-up support, and equipment to teachers of Pre-K through 12th grade students. SPARK also focuses on making activities fun so they don’t give off a competitive feel. This helps students all join in on the activities and not feel excluded if they are not the best athlete in the class. SHIP believes SPARK will be a great asset to our grantees and looks forward to seeing how each school will implement SPARK into their curriculums for the 2012-2013 school year.
