Stories From the Field
50th Anniversary of the National Senior Nutrition Program in Colorado
Since 1972, the National Senior Nutrition Program has funded local agencies and organizations in Colorado to serve home-delivered and congregate meals that help to ensure older adults have opportunities to stay healthy, independent, and connected…. […]
Well-Being Support Line Returns for 2021-22
More than 200 educators from 30 different school districts across Colorado accessed the Well-Being Support Line last school year – a resource being offered again this year for any educator. The free service offered through… […]
Schools Need to Improve Student Outcomes, Bilingual Programs Can Help
Every teacher lives for that moment when they see a student or former student succeed. They get to know they played a small role in that smile, pride, and accomplishment. What horrifies us is seeing… […]
Wings of Hope Mural in Downtown Greeley Created by Student Health Advisory Council
The D6 Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) is thrilled to release this video with the story of the wings mural now displayed at the district’s Family Center in downtown Greeley. This mural was created by… […]
St Vrain Places Priority on Staff Social Emotional Wellness
Efforts to meet student needs begin with meeting staff needs St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) has many programs and resources in place to ensure teachers and staff are supported in their work. One important… […]
A Glimpse at Women Leaders in Colorado Public Education
As CEI commemorates Women’s History Month in 2021, we recognize the increasing number of women serving in leadership roles in Colorado’s PK-12 education landscape. We checked in with several of our partner districts to learn… […]
Book Review: Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities
I came across an endorsement of the book Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities by Ann Ishimaru through a recommendation from another author. Professional Muhammad Khalifa’s book Culturally Responsive School Leadership provided… […]
Love My Tribe! Kids Getting Caught Showing Kindness!
Morris Elementary in Yuma, CO started the Love My Tribe campaign this year. The idea is to catch students in a random act of kindness, something more than just the day-to-day helping. Teachers were given… […]
Southeast Health Group Promotes Mental Health for Local Employers
For the last seven years, Southeast Health Group (SHG) has offered a program called Wellness Solutions to local businesses for a flat enrollment fee. Wellness Solutions provides the employees of participating employers access to free… […]
Virtual Wellness Week Success!
Each year, the D6 Worksite Wellness program hosts a Wellness Fair with about 400 employee participants and 50 booths. Of course that type of in-person event was not feasible in 2020. The wellness team pivoted… […]
U-Teach Culinary Classroom
Culinary Classroom (CC) is an in-person nutrition and cooking lesson provided by our student wellness department. With COVID-19 precautions in place, we thought the program would be put on pause this year. However, through some… […]
Local Library Programs are a Great Resource for Area Youth
Many libraries offer after-school and summer programs for area youth. Yuma Public Library in Yuma, CO has offered a summer reading program and after-school reading groups along with many other programs for years. The summer reading… […]
Wellness Wednesdays
Every other Wednesday during our advisory time, the Jr./Sr. High School takes about 25 minutes a day for both levels to spend time doing physical activity of some sort. These activities include using the fit… […]
Wellness Wonderland 2.0
The Wellness Team and Sources of Strength at Merino Jr./Sr. High School Teamed up for the Second Annual “Wellness Wonderland.” This event is held on the last day of the first semester to give students… […]
RISE Grant Brings COVID Impact Recovery Ideas to Life in Clear Creek
Clear Creek School District (CCSD) is a rural district serving just under 700 students, located 35 miles west of Denver. CCSD serves students in Clear Creek County, which was recently identified as #13 in the… […]
Things to do in February
As we begin the new year as teachers and community members it is important to stay connected with our students and others around us. My school, as a part of the Adams 12 School District,… […]
“What Helps Me” Sources of Strength Campaign
The Merino Sources of Strength team created a video to demonstrate their campaign titled “What Helps Me.” In this video, students talk about the three big emotions: Anxiety, Anger, and Sadness. They also provide examples… […]
Thornton Parks & Rec Offering Options for Learning, Activity During Pandemic
Not being able to go out as often or at all to get active and engage with others can be difficult for children and adults alike. In response, the Thornton, CO Parks and Recreation Department… […]
Adams 12 Five Star School District Uplifts Staff with Professional Development for Distance Learning
On January 5, the Adams 12 Five Star School District provided its staff with professional development focusing on distance learning. The keynote speaker, Nancy Frey, is also one of the authors of the book, The… […]
#FightTheFunk Video Challenge
A message from Kaden Piel and the entire Merino Jr./Sr. High School: Colorado teens and Colorado schools (other states are welcome to join as well)… If you are wondering what #fightthefunk is, this is the… […]
Thankfulness Scavenger Hunt
The incredible Student Wellness Team Leaders and 2nd and 3rd grade Teachers at Harold S. Winograd K-8 School, Tala Cabot and Kelsey Odom, decided to focus on social and emotional health for this year’s School… […]
Southwest Open School
Marissa Moore is a local from Dolores Colorado. She joined SWOS after a few years of attending other high schools in the area. She experienced a life-changing event that permitted her from attending high school… […]
Creating a Healthy School Community – Disc Golf
The town of Gilcrest is home to 1,100 hard working people, and to the Gilcrest Elementary Lil’ Vikes. Our school is one of only six in our small, rural district, but our community is mighty…. […]
Mindfulness and Movement Creates New Norms, Support for Students
Charter School Finds Investment in Mindfulness and Movement Worthwhile New Legacy is a small public charter school located in northwest Aurora. The school opened its doors in 2015 to serve pregnant and parenting high school… […]
Powered by BodyBank
BACKGROUND The New America School (NAS), located on the east side of the Lowry neighborhood, bordering Denver and Aurora, Colorado has been piloting the BodyBank web-based app for the past 3 years. This tool, which… […]
Connecting Student, Family, and Community Voices with Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Located in the northeastern corner of Colorado, Holyoke School District covers approximately 540 square miles and educates almost 600 students. Agricultural production is the primary industry in this rural community that has a population of… […]
PD Team Collaboration Success
The Healthy Schools Professional Development Team (PD Team) formed in November 2016 in order to strengthen the health and wellness of school communities in Colorado by collaborating and cultivating partnerships, sharing resources, and providing high-quality… […]
RMC Health Launches Updated Health Skill Guides
In July 2020, RMC Health released their updated health skill guides created by health educators and experts in skills-based health education. Aligned to the National Health Education Standards, these guides are a free resource available… […]
Garnet Mesa Elementary-Making Health and Wellness a Priority
Garnet Mesa Elementary School (GMES) is a rural western Colorado school in the town of Delta. The enrollment at GMES is 556 students in grades K – 5 with four sections per grade level. GMES… […]
Center Schools Safe Routes to School Program
Learn about the Safe Routes to School Program at Center Schools and how to get involved. […]
Be a Trusted Adult
Learn about what the Center Positive Youth Development team at the Center School District in the San Luis Valley is doing to support youth serving professionals to meet the needs of all of our youth,… […]
Center Viking Youth Club: Supporting Youth Development
The Center Consolidated Schools and the Center Viking Youth Club collaborate to provide out of school time supports to youth. Learn about our mission and programs, how we have been supporting our youth and families… […]
STARS Peer Mentoring
Center Schools and the Center Viking Youth Club collaborate to deliver an out-of-school peer mentoring program focused on healthy relationships. Learn about what we do, our plans for the future, and an opportunity to collaborate. […]
APS shifting to Skills Based Health Ed as a District Cohort
For the past 18 months, APS has been working with Lighthouse Consultants to focus on shifting from traditional sit and get Health Ed to a skills based approach. This work continues to broaden it’s range… […]
Following the Meal Delivery Trucks in APS
I spent the morning following the APS Nutrition Services Team to learn more about our program to deliver meals to our students and families. By speaking with the team, I learned more about WHY we… […]
Growing the Foundation for a Cedaredge Elementary School Garden of Delight
The Cedaredge Elementary School (CES) community lives in a health paradox. Cedaredge and surrounding areas are host to numerous orchards that grow a wide variety of fruit. Yet, according to the Colorado Health Information Data… […]
CSPH Technical Assistance Connections
Our team at the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH) administers the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) and Smart Source. We connect school wellness teams with PD providers and resources to help them elevate and… […]
Utilizing Social Network Analysis to Visualize our Statewide Collaborative
The Healthy Schools Successful Students (HSSS) Professional Development (PD) Team has long held the importance of promoting collaboration across organizations and systems to achieve our collective aims. Although there were numerous networking opportunities and structured… […]
A Collaborative Approach to Evaluating PD for Continuous Improvement
The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Active Schools Institute has been a proud member of the HSSS Professional Development (PD) Team since the beginning of the Healthy Schools initiative, funded by the Colorado Health Foundation,… […]
Colorado Collaboration Reaches Far and Brings Health Home
At the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, my colleagues and I provide quality training, resources, and technical assistance to schools and communities across the country. Being on the HSSS PD Team with some of my… […]
The Four Cs: Colorado Department of Education Collaborates with Colorado League of Charter Schools to Enhance Communication
The Colorado League of Charter Schools (CLCS) strives for charter schools in Colorado to have equitable access to resources, funding, and professional development opportunities pertaining to health and wellness initiatives. CLCS identified that partners may… […]
Partnering that Makes a Difference
The Integrated Nutrition Education Program (INEP) is a creative and fun way for kids to learn about healthy eating and physical activity in their classroom and to share what they learn with their families. Most… […]
APS Nutrition Services hands out one million meals
As of June 19th, 2020 Aurora Public Schools Nutrition Services had distributed its 1,000,000th meal! Shannon Solomon (a HUB member) has led her team in the efforts to make sure that APS students and families… […]
Webinar Review: “How to Stay Sane and Resilient While Working from Home”
This is a great webinar from Stella Grizont who is a speaker and executive coach in worksite wellness. A few examples of tools she shares: Write down 3 positive things that are true RIGHT NOW…. […]
Wellness, Academic Achievement and The Hub
Rachel Hurshman briefly discusses why health and wellness is important for academic achievement and how The Hub is an important resource in these efforts. […]
Coordinator Learning Community
On May 12, 2020, Healthy Schools Wellness Coordinators from across the state gathered – on camera and by phone – for the final Coordinator Learning Community (CLC) of the 2019-20 school year. Over the past… […]
NoCo Wellness Symposium Goes Virtual!
Wellness Coordinators from Greeley, Thompson and Poudre School Districts along with community partner Healthy Kids Club have been working together for over a year to plan a Northern Colorado Wellness Symposium, bringing together wellness teams… […]
The Technical Assistance Team: A Successful Collaboration
As part of the systems-level work of Healthy Schools Successful Students, RMC Health has facilitated the Technical Assistance (TA) Team. The TA Team includes representatives from RMC Health, Colorado Department of Education, WellTrain, Colorado League… […]
The HSSS PD Team – A Story of Collaboration & Amplification
Since 2013, organizations dedicated to health and wellness in school communities have been working in a collaborative and coordinated fashion to provide an environment and culture that integrates health and wellness equitably for students and… […]
Nursing Students Meet Graduation Goals
A project currently exists in APS during the school year to teach Personal Wellness to our middle school students with University of Colorado Nursing students . With COVID and social distancing, we were unable to… […]
What it Means to be a Healthy Panther
Background: In beautiful Woodland Park, Colorado, at the foot of Pikes Peak, is Woodland Park High School (WPHS). WPHS is one of six schools in the Woodland Park School District (WPSD) and has 700 students,… […]
What’s Cookin’? Hosting a Healthy Family Cooking Event
This brief, 30-minute webinar reviews the benefit of sharing family meals and how to put on a successful family cooking event. Specifically, the presenters review the strategies for hosting an event, such as collaborating with… […]
SPARKecademy Webinar: Goal Setting in P.E. Review
This webinar from the SPARKecademy webinar series is a great breakdown on how to help students set goals aligned with the standards in Physical Education. It provides a great resource for students to record their… […]
Daily Tips through COVID-19 Quarantine
Throughout the quarantine, the Merino Wellness Team worked hard each day to send out Daily Tips to all of the staff and the 7-12th grade students. The daily tips included an encouraging message, a physical… […]
SPARK It UP At Home Webinar
This webinar describes different physical activity resources available to teachers and families during the pandemic. Many of the resources talked about during this webinar are free to use, all you have to do is create… […]
Focusing on Providing Health Ed During Challenging Times
For the past 3 years, APS has maintained a partnership with the University of Colorado- Anschutz College of Nursing to provide school sites where nursing students can complete a clinical experience for Public Health. From… […]
Parks as Equitable Resources for Youth Physical Activity, Especially Now
This webinar reviews the importance of children and adolescents achieving 60 minutes of daily physical activity, and how parks, trails, and park programs play a vital role. The presenters capture how closures of these resources… […]
“HOW” to Apply Racial Equity to Policies, Advocacy, Programs, and Service Provision to End Hunger
This is an incredibly interesting webinar that provides essential information on applying racial equity in a variety of ways to help end hunger. The presenter, Marlysa Gamblin, provides an excellent explanation of racial equity and… […]
Multiple Charter Schools Receive $10,000 Donations
The Colorado League of Charter Schools is proud to announce that The Colorado Health Foundation (the Foundation) has designated 17 charter schools around the state to receive $10,000 donations each to support their schools and… […]
Be a Trusted Adult
Check out our video about the importance of being a trusted adult in the life of a young person, and about how you can reach us for resources. […]
Center Viking Youth Club Serving Students During Covid
Check out what the Center Viking Youth Club is doing to support students of Center Consolidated Schools during COVID19. […]
The Hub: Supporting School Wellness Efforts
Learning Center Teacher Whitney Salerno describes how The Hub has supported her health and wellness efforts at Laurene Edmondson Elementary in Loveland, CO. […]
Using The Hub to Improve School Communities
This video talks about the Hub and how it helps schools around Colorado. […]
Two Charter Schools Open School Based Health Centers
In the fall of 2019, Chavez-Huerta Preparatory Academy, a K-12 Charter School in Pueblo –and Salida del Sol, a K-8 charter school in Greeley-Evans, both opened school based health centers. School Based Health Centers are… […]
More PE During COVID?
Finding additional minutes to add Physical Education into the school day, is not an easy task. During COVID, one charter school in District 49 in has added more PE. Learn more about how Power Technical,… […]
My UNC Summer Pal Academy Experience
As a student in the MAT-PEPAL program through UNC, we had the opportunity to participate in the UNC Summer PAL Academy as the P.E. instructors. This summer program lasted two weeks. We were given the… […]
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School Nutrition Professionals are Heroes
School nutrition professionals (SNPs) are heroes. Now, I’m obviously not talking about heroes that fly or turn invisible. I’m talking about the heroes that nourish our communities’ children, ensuring that thousands of meals are safely… […]
Hub Ambassador Q & A: Kati Kuntz
Hub Ambassadors participate in community outreach through social media, storytelling, and participation at events and meetings. Where do you work, and what is your role? I am a wellness coordinator and work for the Buffalo… […]
The Science of Well-Being
I highly recommend enrolling in, and participating in, this course. The title drew me in and after seeing the syllabus, I could not wait to dive right in. This easy-to-follow course offers fantastic content that… […]
Reviewing Data, Making Plans
RMC Health and the Colorado School of Public Health Survey Team hosted a training for school wellness leaders at the Adams 12 Five Star Schools Conference Center on March 13, 2020. This was the last… […]
Virtual Culinary Classroom
With school buildings being shut down during the COVID-19 outbreak, myself and Wellness Specialist, Johanna Bishop, wanted to continue offering nutrition education and cooking skills so we decided to create a virtual program! Within our… […]
Middle School Body Image & Dance Workshop
Had a wonderful experience teaching a body image and dance workshop with middle school girls and their mentors from the Stryker Institute at UNC on Saturday. The goal was to move in ways that were… […]
School-Based Wellness Center
On Tuesday, October 8th, Chavez-Huerta Preparatory K-12 Academy in Pueblo, Colorado opened a School-Based Wellness Center. The Wellness Center is open to support students with health needs and is also serving staff as well. The… […]
Cabin Fever
During this time of social distancing and being forced to stay inside, for the most part, is challenging and can lead to a feeling of having “cabin fever.” As my school’s Wellness coordinator I shared… […]
Middle School Body Image & Dance Workshop
Had a wonderful experience teaching a body image and dance workshop with middle school girls and their mentors from the Stryker Institute at UNC on Saturday. The goal was to move in ways that were… […]
Building Relationships Through Advisory
School Counselor Holly Teyler-Crowder talks about the implementation of a school advisory program at Delta High School. […]
Colorado Education Initiative