Creating Healthy Schools and Communities, Nepperhan Community Center

The places where we live, learn, work and play all contribute to our ability to be healthy. A New York State Department of Health initiative, Creating Healthy Schools and Communities or CHSC, provides resources to create healthy places throughout New York. One CHSC grantee, the Nepperhan Community Center, together with the Yonkers YMCA and their Living Your Fullest Everyday (LYFE) coalition partners, is working with people, schools, government, businesses, and other groups, to share ideas, plan, and take action to improve access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.

Why should schools be places that promote a culture of health and wellness?

Cliff Bond, Physical Education Teacher at Museum School 25: “For me schools are the perfect place to be the center of a child’s health and wellness because they spend so much time here and the teachers in the school get to know the students really well.”

What changes have been made as a result of CHSC to support kids’ ability to eat healthy and be physically active?

Cliff Bond, Physical Education Teacher at Museum School 25: “I see my role as being someone who is teaching physical education in the classroom, which includes teaching the students how to be physically active, how to make it a part of their daily lives, and how to enjoy it, as well as why it’s important. One part of our success story is our ‘Walk With Us Wednesday’ program. Every Wednesday, every morning, everybody in the school gets up and walks around the school or is physically active in the classroom for about 5 to 8 minutes. And what I like about that is it’s done every week, rain or shine, whether we are busy or not, and it’s become a part of our weekly program here.”

Student at Museum School 25: “It was fun. Everyday at recess, instead of just sitting in the auditorium and watching a movie, we would go out in the hallway and walk around the school and sometimes we’d just take little strolls and exercise.”

Cliff Bond, Physical Education Teacher at Museum School 25: “The ‘Fresh food Friday’ is also really important to me because during lunch on Fridays the students get to enjoy fresh fruit like apples, oranges, and bananas. So, I know they look forward to it and are learning to incorporate healthy, delicious food into their, into their lunch period.”

Student at Museum School 25: “I think it had impact because I think it kind of encouraged some students, instead of bringing like candy and chips all the time, I’ve seem most students bringing more fruits too, vegetables, and they actually started bringing real meals”

Music by “Take me Higher” By Jahzzar from the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC.