BUFFALO RE-4J
PEIFFER ELEMENTARY JEFFERSON COUNTY R-1
BUFFALO RE-4J
Buffalo RE-4J not only involves students in the wellness program , they open the door for students to lead and drive all aspects of the district ’ s health and wellness efforts . The Buffalo Wellness Committee includes 15 high school students , a teacher mentor and the principal who meet weekly .
Each year , the students analyze school health data sources , identify wellness goals , help write grants to carry out the goals , determine purchases , organize activities , collaborate with other organizations , and conduct evaluations for student and staff health programming . The strategies these students implement are not only cost effective , but innovative and engaging , and yield high levels of participation . Students listen to both the parents and the community to obtain ideas that can be incorporated into their wellness goals . This year , attending to behavioral health needs was a priority . Examples of activities included adding music before school on Fridays , naming the hallways of the school with positive behavioral skills , creating a beach ball of emotional and social health breaks for teachers to use during wellness breaks , and a “ Just Say Hi ” contest for grades 7-12 . These small ideas have made a big difference in the school culture and are completely student-directed .
PEIFFER ELEMENTARY JEFFERSON COUNTY R-1
In the past four years , Peiffer Elementary leadership has increasingly understood and placed importance on the link between health and wellness and increased academic achievement . Continuous improvement was aligned throughout the school culture and the school analyzed many data sources to drive planning and prioritization .
The school also focused on healthy food options in two of its programs — a school garden and a “ Hands-On Nutrition Education for Youth ” or H . O . N . E . Y . project . The wellness team included community members , parents , staff , and students in the process to plan and build the garden to replace a dilapidated tennis court on school property . Students were encouraged to make healthy food choices and co-teaching concepts with the H . O . N . E . Y . project led to opportunities for healthy or non-food options in all aspects of the school day .
Peiffer was able to use the garden not only as an educational element , but a strategy to increase parent engagement . In doing so they built trust and have been able to expand their school health efforts to a more comprehensive approach , including the addition of a full time mental health specialist , student health goals , and character elements in their core content .
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