iNet - Rye Neck's giant leap to health

Rye Neck middle school and high school (in New York, USA) are situated in a wooded 57-acre campus, serving about 850 students, from Grades 5 through to 12. This public school district is cogniscent of its good fortune in being land rich in highly populated Westchester County, and views its campus as a public trust. In 1994 calamity struck. The roof over the library and cafeteria of the school complex, erected in 1958, collapsed and destroyed these facilities. This gave Rye Neck the impetus to become a health-promoting school because Superintendent of Schools, Dr Peter J Mustich, determined to turn misfortune into opportunity.

First, Dr Mustich challenged the school board, administrators, teachers, parents and community leaders to ponder the following:
Before we plunge in and repair the damage, let’s look at where we want to be, and what we want to achieve with curriculum.
Let’s rethink our curriculum goals and exit outcomes.

Health as the foundation of learning

The mission of this school district - to promote lifelong learning - was reaffirmed. But, how would that goal be best achieved in the context of the 21st century? There evolved a consensus that wellness and fitness are essential to learning at any age - that healthy minds reside in healthy bodies, and that healthy bodies nourish healthy minds. The importance of fitness and athletics to maintaining well-being was reinforced by the results of interviews with graduating seniors. Thus, the decision was made to embrace a sports education model and a consumer wellness model as central to curriculum goals and exit outcomes. The district’s mission was expanded to include a holistic view of health and physical activity.

Specifically the curriculum would strive to develop active, critically thinking, creative, responsible citizens, with high values, morals and ethics; and, a supportive environment would be provided, which enhanced each student’s chance for optimum achievement, by promoting physical growth, establishing healthful habits, developing a positive self-image, and building a foundation of skills for the enjoyment of lifelong fitness.

Once the concept was in place, the groundwork was laid to secure financing. Because the community had been involved in the decision-making, residents approved a special bond issue to finance the physical facilities, staff and curriculum to implement the mission. In 2000 the athletic fields were repaired and upgraded, and expansion of the gym was commenced. By the beginning of the school year in 2002, the gym complex was completed, including a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and a health classroom for the seventh grade, eighth grade and high school students. It was believed that this would physically demonstrate the connection between the disciplines of lifelong wellness and physical activity. By this time, the multipurpose cafeteria and outdoor dining patio were also operational.

Curriculum developers engaged

The completion of the new health classroom also inaugurated a new curriculum. Dr Barbara Ferraro (who was Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, as well as the high school principal), engaged curriculum developers, Positively Healthy Inc, to create a health framework that would address the school district’s mission and satisfy the New York State Health and Parenting Standards. A Content Outline was prepared for the high school health class, in order to ensure that the instructional approach and information were consistent with the mission and standards. For the seventh and eighth graders, Rye Neck chose to implement Positively Healthy’s ‘WOW: Working on Wellness’ curriculum.

‘WOW: Working on Wellness’ dovetailed seamlessly with Rye Neck’s requirements because it was based on the health-promoting school model, considered to be an innovative, ‘best practice’ concept. The model has been widely championed by Dr Diane Allensworth, formerly Director of the American School Health Association, and currently with the US Centers for Disease Control. Adapted from work developed by I.M. Young, it focuses on ten characteristics of a ‘school health instruction program in a health-promoting school’).

Those applying the model should:

apply multiple theories and models when developing interventions to promote health-enhancing behaviors;
focus on priority health behaviors;
expand the scope of the school health program;
replace the health instruction model with a health promotion model that employs multiple strategies;
co-ordinate health promotion activities throughout the school and community;
promote co-ordination of the school health program within the school through interdisciplinary and interagency teams;
promote active student participation using methods that match teaching strategies with instructional goals;
incorporate common skills needed to address a variety of health problems and issues;
take a wider view of all aspects of school life and its relationship with the community, such as developing caring, nurturing schools and communities with high expectations for student success; and,
solicit family support and involvement.

Attendance on a rotation basis

Seventh and eighth grade students in Rye Neck attend health classes for one-quarter of the year, on a rotation basis, which translates into 40 one-hour sessions. Covering the ten areas of comprehensive health is now divided between the two years, in order to permit in-depth comprehension, with topics of special concern included in both years. Therefore, seventh grade students study growth & development, mental & emotional health, nutrition & fitness, and safety (all of which are also infused with messages geared to the prevention of tobacco, alcohol and drug use). The components of fitness, assessing one’s own fitness, and practicing safety in exercise and sports are addressed in physical education. Eighth grade students study drug abuse prevention, violence prevention, and the prevention of disease in health class, with reinforcement given to pregnancy prevention, first aid and CPR, and nutrition and fitness. Environmental studies are integrated into science.

Students do not just sit in health classes like quiet sponges, absorbing knowledge and the ‘do’s and don’ts’. Rather, the concept underlying WOW is to change the attitudes and behaviors of adolescents through peer interaction and leadership, and the promotion of positive messages through community outreach. The curriculum is designed to move youth from being passive learners to being advocates and leaders of health and safety. Youth apply and practice life and thinking skills that lead to healthy behaviors. Activities and discussions foster the importance of a united family, reinforce universal values, such as responsibility, respect and empathy, and guide youth on the path to becoming accountable citizens and members of a future workforce that has positive attitudes about wellness and the higher order thinking skills needed to be effective at any job.

Personal fitness plans

Use of the new fitness centre steadily increased through the 2002-2003 school year. A fitness instructor was on board by November 2002, working with individuals to design personal fitness plans and with the athletic teams to create sport-specific training. The facility is available to students during school hours and the afternoon, while it is open as well to faculty and community residents before and after school hours, and during the summer months. Records of fitness centre usage are being kept, and the goal is to have it evolve into an integral part of the life of the school.

Rye Neck’s determination to become the quintessential health-promoting school district is still a work in progress. However, administrators and teachers are pleased with the achievements so far, and look back on their journey as well-executed. Their advice to other school districts that are interested in similar goals is to start with a clean slate; plan carefully and comprehensively; involve all concerned parties (education professionals, parents, community residents and students) in every step of the process; integrate the concept into all aspects of the school, from bricks-and-mortar to curriculum; assess as you implement, and be ready to modify.

About the author

Ms Carolyn Carpentieri Potter is President of Positively Healthy, Inc, in Westport, Connecticut, USA. She can be contacted by email at: wowpotter@compuserve.com or www.wowness.com. Dr Barbara Ferraro is Rye Neck Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and High School Principal, in Rye Neck, New York, USA. She can be contacted by email at: Bferraro@ryeneck.K12.ny.us

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5th iNet International Conference, 26 28 November 2008

Rye Neck's giant leap to health

Health as the foundation of learning

Curriculum developers engaged

Attendance on a rotation basis

Personal fitness plans

About the author

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Register today

Useful links

5th iNet International Conference, 26 28 November 2008

Rye Neck's giant leap to health

Health as the foundation of learning

Curriculum developers engaged

Attendance on a rotation basis

Personal fitness plans

About the author