Beecher Hills Elementary fifth-grader Trinity Davenport has been chosen to be a part of a seven-member youth panel (elementary through high school) at the Second Annual Georgia School Wellness Summit on March 19 on the campus of Clayton State University. Davenport will not only be representing Beecher Hills and APS, but also the voice of every student in the state of Georgia.
Davenport served as a school Student Wellness Ambassador last year, and this year serves as the schools SGA president while participating in an orchestra trio (viola), the Junior Beta Club, and as a “Buzzing Bee” volunteer in the media center.
“I’m really excited because I get to show the wellness efforts at the school,” said Davenport.
Indeed, Beecher Hills is active about being active, thanks in part to third-year physical-education instructor Kristin Horton. The school starts the day with an optional yoga class that is shown on closed-circuit TV. (About half the school participates, depending on the day.) Plenty of recess time is provided, after lunchtime. And each Wednesday, the school staff and students wear a laminated purple badge encouraging everyone to avoid junk food.
But the excitement this year is over a competition between staff and students over who will be the most active. Each participant marks how many steps they take using pedometer. What started out as a month-long competition will probably last until the end of the school year, Horton says.
“The purpose of the youth panel is to learn from the youth how to better engage them in making their school and community healthier. This is an amazing opportunity for Trinity, and she deserves credit for her hard work and dedication to the health and well-being of her fellow peers,” said Horton. “The faculty is taking their health and wellness and made it a priority, and we’re setting an example for the students.” In fact, next week the school will undergo a health assessment from a visiting company, Health MPowers.
The event is sponsored by Action for Healthy Kids and will feature other wellness-related organizations.