Helping Kids Make Healthy Choices
coordinated school health, education, maury county, maury county public schools, tori weiss,
Childhood obesity and poor physical health are growing problems across Tennessee and the nation, but officials at Maury County Public Schools are tackling the problems head on.
“We rank fourth and fifth in childhood and adult obesity in Tennessee, so part of our goal is to empower kids to make better choices in the lunch line,” says Tori Weiss, school health coordinator for Maury County Public Schools. “For example, we serve our pizza on whole wheat crust. And new vending laws don’t allow sodas to be sold in schools anymore – only water and low-fat snacks.”
But there’s more.
To create an atmosphere of excitement about making healthy choices, Weiss created a school health mascot named Victor E.
“He’s a great big hound dog who wears a big football jersey, and his seven favorite words all start with E – Energy, Exercise, Education, Excellence, Enthusiasm, Earth and Eating healthy,” Weiss explains.
Victor E. visits students during lunchtime at the county’s 13 elementary schools, and he talks to them about the importance of exercise, eating right and all the other E words.
“The response has been fantastic. The kids see him and get really excited,” Weiss says. “They all want to know when he’s coming back to their school.”
Students even encounter Victor E. outside of school.
“We had stuffed animals made of Victor E., and we put them around the community – at the YMCA and in all our school offices,” Weiss says. “I’m a member of the Y, and I went in one day and saw a little girl point to Victor E. and tell her mom, ‘That’s Victor E., and he comes to my school.’ ”
Victor E. is part of Maury County’s Coordinated School Health program, which was mandated by the state in 2006 to be initiated in every school. The Coordinated School Health Improvement Act of 2000 provided funding for the CSH program to be established in 10 pilot sites. In 2006, the initiative and funding was established to expand CSH statewide.
“The overall goal is to improve the health of our students, especially because recess time and physical education have been cut in many schools,” Weiss says. “We want to help our children become physically, emotionally and socially healthy. And that’s the motivation behind Victor E. Once we teach children to respect themselves and others, all the E’s fall into place.”
The Coordinated School Health program also recognizes the connection between healthy choices and academic achievement. Together, they create a strong foundation for preparing students for challenges they’ll face both academically and personally.
“We’ve got a hugely supportive community that’s willing to help our kids get the resources they need,” Weiss says. “So we can identify needs and go from there. The only limit is our own imaginations.”
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Antony Boshier
