Local schools give support to Healthy Heroes
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Rotary Wellington launched a ?Healthy Heroes? programme at the start of the year and the ?trial school? in Khandallah says the programme is a great success.The programme aims to take school health messages directly into students homes. Cashmere Avenue School in Khandallah took up the programme at the beginning of the year. The school approached the local New World supermarket that was happy to supply apples and oranges for the programme. ?They provided incentives to the kids for their work, and Rotary also organised prize packs for schools,? says teacher Jan Clearwater. She says the holistic programme looks to teach children how to take ownership of their healthy learning. The programme has five aspects: five fruit and vegetables a day, 8-10 hours sleep, half an hour of activity, helping-out with five things, and a mental challenge that could be reading a book or playing guitar. ?The mental challenge can?t involve a screen, even those good games that teach maths,? she says. The 22 week course proved to be overkill and the school has advised it be cut back to keep the kids engaged. ?The first term was a hiss and a roar, but in the second term the logging of activity online dropped off,? says Mrs Clearwater. She says the programme is well pegged to the new curriculum and helps students ?without nagging? to participate, relate to others, and take responsibility of them actions. Students are more driven to take up the challenge when it?s not imposed on them, she says. ?You know what it?s like then you tell kids to do something. ?This is more like a club they have joined, and it?s great for an apple and orange to be cool,? say Mrs Clearwater. Korokoko School?s acting principal Martin Hookham says forcing children to eliminate something from their diet is not the way to ?help young people become balanced and independent adults?. ?Now the canteen restrictions have been lifted ? it?s much better to address the education side of things. ?Forcing them to eliminate something from their diet doesn?t work, it?s a more realistic approach to teach them about balance,? says Mr Hookham. The school don?t run the healthy heroes programme yet, but promote balanced diets throughout the year. ?Most kids bring packed lunches, and parents are pretty good around here. ?Teachers monitor what kids eat, and if there is an excess of bad food something is done about it,? says Mr Hookham. He says schools in lower socio-economic areas struggle the most to find a balance and that?s where assistance is most needed. Randwick school in Moera also monitors what their students eat and will contact the parents if ?one child brings donuts to school three days in a row,? says Principal Ariana Tyson. ?It?s about a partnership between the school and the family. ?A home is where there are more problems,? she says. The school won?t allow students drink fizzy-drinks or heat-up two-minute noodles, KFC leftovers, or other ?non-nutritional? foods in the microwave and the principal contacts parents if the situation worsens. Ms Tyson says the local Rotary club has contacted her about the programme and they are considering implementing it. The idea has been endorsed by the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners and the Pharmacy Guild. For more information on the ?Healthy Schools? programme visit www.healthyheroes.org.nz
