By Kayla J. Marsh
Staff Writer
HAZLET – A new initiative being implemented within the Township School District will focus on helping students and their families make better choices when it comes to proper nutrition and staying physically active.
According to Assistant Superintendent Joseph J. Annibale, the Healthy U program, created in 2008 as a collaboration between the Horizon Foundation and the New Jersey YMCA Alliance, has so far been piloted at two Hazlet schools at no cost to the district.
“Right now, we are introducing it in Raritan Valley School, which has around 340 students, and Beers Street Elementary, which has about 266 students … and it is something that we have the intention of hopefully bringing into fruition in all schools next year,” he said.
Raritan Valley School held its kickoff event on Feb. 29, while Beers Street Elementary held its event on March 1.
All students participated in a “Leap Into Healthy U” assembly filled with non-competitive activities aimed at helping students and their families better understand the importance and benefits of proper nutrition and staying physically active.
Some teachers even dressed up as healthy and not-so healthy foods such as pizza, grapes and popcorn, to help reinforce the importance of making good food choices.
“Healthy U was created with collaboration between Horizon and the YMCA Alliance and really the impetus and goal is to help students and families better understand better nutrition and the health benefits of staying active,” Annibale said. “We are really excited to see the program come to fruition in our district.”
According to a release from The Community YMCA in Shrewsbury, Healthy U is the largest and most comprehensive childhood obesity prevention program in the country and Hazlet School District is one of only a handful of districts in the state to incorporate the program into their daily curriculum.
“The great thing about the program is that both schools have been given roughly $6,000 of athletic equipment to split between both of them along with supplemental curriculum that will go along with what our teachers are doing in the classroom,” Annibale said.
Students at Raritan Valley School and Beers Street Elementary will enjoy colorful new hula-hoops, jump ropes and other free equipment as part of the Healthy U program.
According to The Community YMCA release, statewide Healthy U impacts more than 46,000 children from ages three to 13 at hundreds of YMCA and elementary school sites and the program uses the Coordinated Approach to Child Health curriculum to combat childhood obesity.
“The Community YMCA is proud to be a partner with the Horizon Foundation in bringing the Healthy U program to all Hazlet students,” said Rhonda Anderson, The Community YMCA president and CEO. “Together, we are providing our children with a strong foundation for a healthy future.”
Annibale said currently the YMCA provides a before and aftercare program at district schools and the goal of the district is to implement the program into all district schools for September 2016.
“This was something they brought to us last year and we proposed it to our principals and Raritan Valley School and Beers Street Elementary wanted to jump right into and are really piloting it,” he said.
Annibale said the district schools needed to create a wellness committee made up of professionals such as school nurses, physical education teachers, kitchen staff and other volunteers who will really drive future training and help the program improve.
“The students are really excited and if it is successful we look forward to implementing it into all the schools for 2016,” he said.