Poland's Family Health Night physical, educational benefits for healthy students

POLAND

As the school district’s elementary schools prepare for consolidation, North, Dobbins and Union already are collaborating.

First-grade students and families from the three K-fourth-grade schools came together Tuesday for Poland’s first Family Health Night.

Organizers say the event is the first step in a program they hope to expand districtwide.

“We really wanted to engage all three schools in a wellness initiative,” said Tammy Todd, an event organizer and Dobbins PTO member. “I’m a nurse practitioner, and I see the end result of obesity and poor health on kids.”

“We thought if we could instill some of the good habits early, they would carry it on,” said Cathy Fedor, a school district nurse.

“There’s a lot of evidence that students that are physically active and eat nutritious foods do better in school. They show increased test scores, decreased absenteeism, decreased trips to the nurse’s office — there’s a whole host of good outcomes,” she said.