Champions of Change Blog

Fostering Body and Mind

"Seven years ago, I hired Chris West to be our Physical Education teacher because his vision centered on wellness and physical fitness.  We started to develop a larger vision together within the walls of Bauder Elementary School.  We began shifting the focus of PE as game play and large team sports to individualized fitness and movement-based health goals. We took the time to educate kids about the WHY behind fitness and life-long health goals. In addition, we involved the staff with this vision and continued to create school community buy-in.  To achieve our goals centered on fitness and health, we have dedicated the past few years to increasing quality physical education and movement beyond the gym and into the classroom."

-Brian Carpenter, Principal of Bauder Elementary.

To accomplish this joint vision of a school culture that integrates health into all areas of learning, we implemented a school wellness team with the direction of the Poudre School District’s (PSD) Physical Fitness and Nutrition Advisory Council (PFNAC).  During the 2006-2007 school year, as a Bauder Wellness co-leader, I volunteered to work with PFNAC so I could align Bauder’s goals with larger district goals for wellness and start building a partnership within the greater Northern Colorado community. The extra effort to build a new partnership was paying off. The PSD wellness coordinator and co-chair of PFNAC, Nicole Turner-Rivana, supported my efforts in several ways, including sending me to trainings such as the National and State AAHPERD.  Her involvement has been instrumental in supporting my vision for a new paradigm shift in education by assisting me in educator trainings centered on bike safety, integration of literacy and science into physical education (PE), action-based learning, active classrooms, and community support systems.  As a result, I continued developing the skills necessary to build Bauder’s PE and wellness program and to lead staff development for others in our school and district. “Chris’ passion for getting all kids moving is infectious. He has been a mentor to me and other staff in our district about how to work diligently for continued changes in the right direction. We are lucky to have him in PSD,” commented Nicole.

Beginning with my own PE class, I planted the first seeds by changing the culture of what students believed gym class was and what quality physical education meant. For example, every other year, I turn the gymnasium into a “Magic School Bus Inside the Heart” obstacle course where students travel through a make-believe heart while learning science and literacy. Their bodies are engaged in agility, balance, strength, spatial awareness, and cooperative play. I wanted to do more than just change the PE culture for students; I needed to build a deeper partnership with my staff. So I asked the third grade teachers to begin working with me to change the traditional Valentine treats from candy to a physical activity party while learning more about the heart. All third grade teachers joined in and used their PTO party funds for this new physically-active educational Valentine’s celebration with the PE teacher, in addition to regularly scheduled PE classes.   Change takes work and creativity, much like how a roller coaster needs to climb up that first steep hill, but the reward is the thrill of the speed and the wind in your face on the way down.

Catering to Womens' Needs: The Fruits of ACA Regulations

Birthing is a powerful experience whether it results in a baby or an organization. As Executive Director for the past 23 years, I am grateful to have been a midwife to Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) and to work with passionate and talented people and to advocate for women and children every day. I have always felt that childbirth is one of the most memorable and cul­turally significant times in a person’s life. Unfor­tunately, we as a culture have not adequately supported women during this period. MCC plays a vital role in the community, connecting women to the services and programs they need for a healthy start to their babies’ lives.

When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in 2010, we knew that MCC needed to play a key role in explaining it to our community. Since then we have provided leadership at the local and state level by educating the public and stakeholders about the provisions of the legislation that impact mothers and babies. These provisions include workplace protections for breastfeeding, home visiting programs for families, perinatal depression research, pregnancy assistance funds, insurance coverage for maternity care, and equitable Medical Assistance reimbursements for Certified Nurse Midwives and Birth Centers. We have also developed a strategic advocacy agenda with our coalition partners—Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need and the Pennsylvania Health Access Network—that is inclusive of women’s specific health needs.