As a partner of the Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition, Anne Arundel County Public Schools proudly promotes Healthy Anne Arundel Month this April through several key wellness initiatives.
In its third year, celebrating Healthy Anne Arundel Month helps to “motivate individuals and groups of all ages toward better physical and mental health.”
Under its own Wellness Council, AACPS addresses the overall well-being of students, employees, and school community members by applying the eight components of a coordinated school health program as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control. This month, the school system is:
- sharing healthy lifestyle tips via social media and school activities.
- highlighting the many partnerships that make the school system’s wellness efforts a statewide model. Members of the AACPS Wellness Council made a presentation to the Board of Education detailing the impact of such collaboration on April 6.
- opening the window for schools to apply for the 2016 Wellness Schools of Distinction Award, which is given annually to schools that demonstrate a high priority for the health and well-being of students, staff, and school supporters by going beyond the curriculum to produce positive outcomes for the entire school community.
- promoting its extensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to school system personnel. Through an employee survey, AACPS staff members identified stress as a leading factor in their lives. In response, the EAP supplies a variety of resources to help employees beat stress and handle stressors, among many other resources.
Healthy Anne Arundel Month segues into National Physical Fitness and Sports Month in May, which is also highly celebrated by Anne Arundel County Public Schools.