COORDINATED SCHOOL HEALTH:
A SUCCESS STORY

The following article was written by Williamson County Schools Health/Wellness Specialist Ken Brooks

The Coordinated School Health initiative is a huge undertaking with a big vision.  One could get overwhelmed by the size of the task, the numbers within a school system and wondering how a real impact can be made.  This year has reminded me that once again success can be measured one person at a time.  I am also reminded of the power in the simple act of creating awareness.

As I began last summer and since school was not yet in session, one area that helped initiate a starting point was to create awareness within the staff at the central office.  This included introducing CSH to each person, sending out basic tips every now and providing health education with an emphasis on nutrition through a fruit snack on one day and a staff lunch on another.  I thought each of these was well received. 

It was not until later on that I learned the type of impact this had on at least one person.  According to Terry Teague, who is a database administrator with our school system, these simple acts motivated him to take stock and evaluate his current health status.  In reality, it was the Coordinated School Health initiative that prompted him to begin changing his habits.  The fruit snack/education day caused him to think that he needed to incorporate fruits and even vegetables back into his diet, something he had not done since he was a child.  The other reminders continued to reinforce health ideas in his mind.  Terry started watching what he ate, bringing more balance and moderation into his daily food intake.  He also increased his activity level by beginning to run on his own.  As he experienced initial success, his motivation continued to grow.  Friends and family also encouraged him to continue in these new habits.  A friend of his challenged him to keep training and participate in a marathon.  At first Terry said no, but it stayed in his mind.  As he remained active through the winter and headed toward spring, he did register for the County Music Marathon in April.  He completed his first ever half marathon at this event.  Terry sent me news of his accomplishment by saying, “It wasn’t pretty, but I did it.  The last couple of miles killed me!  I plan to do it every year now,” ending the statement with a smiley face. 

Up to this point, Terry has lost almost 20 lbs. and has noticed an increase in his energy level during the day.  He continues to be excited about the changes he has made in his lifestyle.  There is power in creating awareness which is what certainly can be accomplished with CSH.  The more awareness created in a close and personal manner, the more people will begin to make it part of their environment and lifestyle, which utilizes the powerful force of strength in numbers.   Developing an environment to where people are motivating each other to be healthy begins with awareness.  This does not mean that each of us will be motivated or even need to run a marathon, but adopting healthy habits (regardless of how small) does have great benefits.  I am hearing other stories of this happening with groups of people at different schools within our system.  These stories lead me to conclude that our CSH initiative has experienced good success in our very first year.