Union 42’s wellness team has attended the Maine Schoolsite Health Promotion Conference continuously for 18 years. Each building has wellness team members that conduct activities and maintain a bulletin board. The Manchester Elementary School principal is the Administrative Team liaison and advocates for full implementation of the team action plan, including release time, meeting space, and funding for professional development.

Members of the wellness team collaborated with the school lunch program’s food service director to establish a Nutrition Team and they have instituted a healthy snack week. A nutritional analysis is conducted using Nutri Kids software.

1st Aid and CPR training is offered for all teachers and staff each year as part of the district wellness team action plan. The Wellness Team sponsors a massage for staff with team members substituting for teachers during that time.

The Wellness Team advocated for a soda-free policy that includes all vending machines and sporting events in the Union. Revenue is generated through sales of juices, water, and healthy drinks.

Wellness Team started a district wide Pedometer Project for all staff. Participants called in every day for 2 months. An increased energy level, motivational incentive had a positive return that culminated with a big celebration.

A bi-annual health fair is implemented in Readfield and Wayne, complete with evaluation. A health survey is conducted with individual students prior to the planning of the fair that covers the social, mental, and physical aspects of health. A culmination activity has each student developing a wellness goal that is reviewed by teachers. The goals are filed and revisited when the students move on to middle school.

Superintendent Rich Abramson has a strong belief in wellness and believes that wellness has been institutionalized in Union 42. He approached the team with the idea of an Employees Benefits Fair which provided interested community members with information about local area fitness opportunities. Superintendent Abramson is working with the American Association of School Administrators on an obesity focus group. The National Association of State Boards of Education and the Robert Wood Foundation are working with him to include Union 42 as a potential pilot site for increased physical activity.

For their commitment to health promotion and wellness for students and staff, we are proud to present Union 42/CSD with the exemplary award for health promoting and wellness.

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