Calling All PHS Wellness Champions! Register Now!

well-champ-gathering

The PHS Wellness Champion Gathering will be held on Friday, November 4th from 9:00am to 3:00pm ET. Attendees can register to participate online via Zoom, or in-person in Ann Arbor, and choose to attend the entire day or individual sessions. Four compelling speakers will discuss wellness issues that face our current student body. Topics will include: (1) middle school vaping prevention, (2) adolescent body image and weight related communication, (3) adaptive and inclusive physical education, and (4) American Academy of Pediatrics policy recommendations for screen time.

PHS will be launching our new vaping module at this year’s event. This module will be free for all PHS schools. SCECHs will also be available at this free event. Please register to attend here. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Boguslawski, PHS Program Manager, at mkbog@med.umich.edu.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Thank You for Your Support!

thank you heart text

Project Healthy Schools participated in the University of Michigan’s Giving Blueday on March 16th. We surpassed our goal of 35 donors and had a total of 50 donors graciously donate to our program. Thank you so much to everyone who helped to spread the word about our program with your friends, family, and colleagues. Your generosity will help keep the mission of PHS moving forward as we work to support the health and well-being of middle schools and their surrounding communities throughout Michigan. If you missed Giving Blueday 2022 and would like to support our program, you can donate here.

thank you heart text
Photo by Řaj Vaishnaw on Pexels.com

Did You Know? We’re on TikTok!

person holding black android smartphone

Blue CPHS has recently expanded our social media presence. We have joined the world of TikTok (pause for applause)! Please connect with us by searching for Project Healthy Schools on this new engaging platform where we will take you behind the scenes into the world of school health and wellness. If you haven’t already, please also connect and check in with us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts as well. We can’t wait to share our health resources and success stories with you and your surrounding community. See you there!

person holding black android smartphone
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Embrace the Great Outdoors with Forest Bathing

kids-walking-in-the-woods

In our last newsletter, we empowered you to spring into action by increasing your daily physical activity as our temperatures slowly improved. Now that summer is on the horizon, how can we further take advantage of the amazing Michigan summer weather and utilize the great outdoors to enhance our physical and mental health well-being? Surround yourself with nature and try something new, such as forest bathing! Forest bathing began in Japan back in 1982 and has since grown in popularity around the world. Here is a fun video that showcases a forest bathing experience in Honolulu, Hawaii. The great state of Michigan has so many amazing hiking trails and forests to explore. Why not become your own guide and immerse yourself in the great outdoors? For added safety, explore with a friend, stay on well-groomed trails, and avoid ticks. Enjoy your summer and reap the benefits of nature!

kids-walking-in-the-woods

Wellness Grant from PHS Supports Outdoor Physical Activity at Schools

students-at-blesch-intermediate-school-playing-in-snow

During the 2021-2022 school year, Project Healthy Schools awarded 22 wellness grants to eligible returning schools who applied during the fall and winter grant cycles. Schools were awarded up to $800 for each grant cycle to support health and wellness initiatives that would enhance the school wellness culture at their school for their students and staff. Blesch Intermediate School in Menominee, MI is located in the Upper Peninsula and has been a proud BHC:PHS school since 2019. Blesch loves to engage their students outside as much as they can. They created wellness initiatives where students came together and built snow forts outside using buckets purchased with their PHS wellness grant. They also used sleds purchased with their PHS wellness grant to keep their students physically active outside during the long Michigan winter. PHS wellness champion Wendy Rauch says, “One of the biggest impacts is that the PHS wellness grant has given our students the opportunity to experience activities that they otherwise would not have been able to experience. The wellness initiatives have made it possible to bring our student body together and participate in healthy activities in the classroom and outside. PHS has taught our students valuable health lessons that will be carried on throughout their lives. Our students are making better lifestyle choices. They are more engaged in positive recess activities and there are less behavior issues on the playground due to students concentrating and focusing on fitness activities.” Great job Blesch Intermediate School on your amazing ingenuity of keeping your students active and healthy amid a cold Michigan winter!

students-at-blesch-intermediate-school-playing-in-snow
Students at Blesch Intermediate School in the Upper Peninsula utilize buckets purchased with their PHS wellness grant to make a snow fort that promoted outdoor physical activity.

Staff Wellness Success at New BHC:PHS School

picture-of-students-making-fruit-smoothies

Six new schools were welcomed into the BHC:PHS program in Fall 2021. One of these new schools is Great Lakes Learning Academy. Great Lakes Learning Academy is a tuition-free online public school for students who want a quality education with award-winning curriculum, certified teachers, and personalized learning plans. Although virtual, their office for staff to work out of is located in East Lansing, MI. As part of their wellness initiatives, GLLA decided to host an in-person smoothie bar for staff to utilize during lunch time for an entire week. They set up blenders, ingredients, and posted recipes for staff to follow. Some of their other wellness initiatives that are being utilized for both staff and students include a water drinking challenge, step and physical activity challenge, as well as a virtual cookbook for students to utilize at home. PHS wellness champion Shannon Donaldson says, “Project Healthy Schools has done a great job supplying GLLA with the resources needed to take health and wellness at our school to the next level. Being a virtual school, it is essential for our staff and students to set aside time to get moving throughout the day and learn the skills needed to eat healthy at home. We applaud PHS for recognizing that the health of students who attend online schools is as valuable as any other student.” Congratulations to Great Lakes Learning Academy on supporting their students and staff through creative and engaging wellness initiatives!

picture-of-students-making-fruit-smoothies
School staff at Great Lakes Learning Academy engage with their staff wellness smoothie bar

Apply Now to Join the BHC:PHS Program

PHS and BHC Logo

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the University of Michigan is partnering to bring the Building Healthy Communities: Engaging Middle Schools through Project Healthy Schools program to new middle schools across the state of Michigan for the 2022-2023 school year. The BHC:PHS program is a comprehensive school-wide initiative designed to prevent childhood obesity and create healthy school environments. All public, charter, and nonprofit private middle schools who have not previously participated in a BHC program are invited to apply.

We will be hosting an informative webinar and Q&A session about joining our program on Tuesday, May 24th at 3:30pm EST. Please register for the webinar here. The webinar will be recorded and posted onto the RFA website listed below for those unavailable to attend.

Our request for applications is available here and officially closes on August 26, 2022 at 11:59pm EST. We look forward to welcoming new schools to the BHC:PHS program this coming fall!

PHS and BHC Logo

ACES Day & Bike and Roll to School Day!

ACES Day and Bike and Roll to School Day

If you post a photo of a student participating in ACES Day & Bike and Roll to School Day and tag @projecthealthyschools on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter by Friday, May 6th, your school will be entered into a contest to win $200 of physical activity supplies at the school’s discretion. If you would like assistance, reach out to your PHS wellness coordinator or reach us at projecthealthyschools@umich.edu. 

Check out walkbiketoschool.org and michiganfitness.org/events/bike-to-school-day for more information.

SPRING into Action with Physical Activity!

spring-into-action-graphic

In our last newsletter, we discussed how macros, micros, and phytos are important nutrients and substances that can improve our overall health when we incorporate healthy eating into our daily life. Now that we’re fueled up with great nutrition, it’s time to spring into action and increase our physical activity! With winter soon coming to a close and spring on the horizon, now is the perfect time to dust off your walking shoes and get moving. Long gone are the days of having to go to the gym for a full hour workout. Research has shown that simply incorporating more movement and physical activity into our daily life, even in short bouts, can have a tremendous impact on our physical and mental health. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car at a further spot and walk to your destination, stretch while you wait in line at the grocery store, or get up from your desk and run an errand at least once every 30 minutes. At MHealthy we love to say, “The best position is the next position!” Whether you sit or stand at your desk, stagnation is not the goal. Change your body position as much as possible in order to keep your body in ergonomic tip top shape. 60 minutes of daily physical activity (simple movement) is the goal and you can achieve these minutes collectively throughout the day. Need more motivation? Set a realistic goal for yourself and track your progress or invite a friend to join you! Happy Spring from PHS!