Congrats to the 2015 Fit to Learn Graduates
May 08, 2015 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign
We celebrated our 2015 cohort and principal advisors.
At the end of a busy and successful school year, it’s nice to sit back and reflect on the past year’s accomplishments. And that’s exactly what we did yesterday at our Fit to Learn Celebration Breakfast.
Fit to Learn is a professional development program focused on practical approaches to make health and wellness a regular part of the classroom experience. The training spotlights ways to incorporate healthy habits into daily learning, integrating nutrition education and fitness into classroom lessons that meet standards in math, reading, science, social studies, art and music
Monica Morrow, a third-grade teacher at Morrill Elementary, says she started incorporating yoga into her classroom three days a week. She’s seen firsthand the positive effect on her students.
Morrow is one of 10 teachers from across Chicago that graduated from Fit to Learn, Healthy Schools Campaign’s free wellness-focused professional development program for teachers and principals, during the 2014-2015 school year. Throughout the year, these teachers attended workshops and booster sessions and implemented Fit to Learn activities and ideas in their classrooms, and saw some great improvements. We also honored our principal advisors who add invaluable expertise and knowledge to our program.
Over the past five years, more than 100 teachers in 55 Chicago Public Schools have participated in the Fit to Learn program. And we’re always looking for more. We’re recruiting now for the 2015-2016 school year. Our introductory summer session is on Aug. 5 or 6 and will serve as a kick-off for the new school year.
Teachers who participate in Fit to Learn will be engaged throughout the entire school year. Each month, from September to April, we offer after-school booster sessions to share best practices and to help teachers implement Fit to Learn lessons into their classrooms. Booster sessions range from incorporating yoga in the classroom to learning how to start or enhance a school garden.
Congratulations to our 2015 Fit to Learn program graduates and participants:
- Jennifer Aguinaga, Tonti Elementary School
- Trisha Chmielinski, McCormick Elementary School
- Amy Faxel, Hamline Elementary School
- Chelsea Harkelroad, Hamilton Elementary School
- Maria Hernandez, Ruiz Elementary School
- Sara Marks, Parker Elementary School
- Monica Morrow, Morrill Elementary School
- Kiah Nolan, Morrill Elementary School
- Sonja Wonzer, Woodson Elementary School
- Lisa Ziel, Tonti Elementary School
