Healthy activities boon to kids

“The Clovis Municipal Schools is committed to the optimal development of every student,” reads the first line of our district's Wellness Plan & Implementation Guide. Although it follows state and federal guidelines, it has been tweaked to best suit our own community.

Developed by the School Health Advisory Council committee, this sizable, living document is regularly adjusted to accommodate new or changing needs.

The SHAC committee comprises CMS staff from a wide variety of positions, along with parents, community members, and a student representative.

This document, the basis for a wide range of events and activities, is for specifically supporting the growth, development, and well-being of our students.

An important aspect of the program is the Healthy Kids-Healthy Communities program that has been ongoing for some years. Partnering with Mitch Gray, community developer, we've participated in the “Eat Smart to Play Hard” portion of the program to foster healthy habits with our students that carries over to family life at home.

The activities vary per grade level, geared to the developmental age of students. For example, the “5-2-1-0 Three-Week Challenge” is a fun, engaging way to encourage kids in healthier eating: five fruits and vegetables per day; two hours or less of daily screen time; one hour of daily physical activity; 0 is for adequate hydration … H2O.

I was able to catch the fourth- and fifth-graders' portion of the program at Mesa Elementary recently. What an experience and an unexpected delight. Mesa's gym was bursting with fun and energy, guided by the adult facilitators.

Four stations were set up: Art Club with paper and markers where students drew their favorite fruits and veggies; along with the other stations, classic childhood games: Simon Says, Blind Man's Bluff, and Duck, Duck, Goose.

Assisting Gray was Mesa staff Alison Brown, Jerrod Long, Miranda Bonney, and our district, floating elementary coach, Todd Estes, expertly orienting and moving their groups of students through each station.

There was no doubt students were having a grand time at each of the stations, punctuated by their high energy, eager participation, and non-stop laughter.

Uniquely noteworthy were the adults present. Calm and organized, they deftly maneuvered each group of students through their activity station with grace and ease; they joked and laughed with the kids, seemingly having the time of their lives. The thought flashed, unbidden, through my mind was, “this group could pretty much run the country.”

Clearly, a grand time was had by all.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at:

[email protected]