“I’m sweating,” said 3rd grader Zia Knapp, wiping her brow while sitting on the floor of the Bell Elementary gym. Next to her is a cheese stick, carrots and fruit inside a Ziploc bag.

Knapp’s afternoon is almost done – just a few final words from Binghamton University interns about staying active and eating healthy, and one last goodbye for Baxter the Bearcat and the Black Knights mascot, both of whom helped encourage the students during the day’s activity. 

 

 

It’s the final Winning with Wellness session at Bell Elementary before the Thanksgiving break. The program, designed to encourage kids to be active and make healthy food choices, has expanded from ten students at its inception in January to 15 now. 

“Last year we had immediate buy-in from the parents of the kids we started with. We’ve seen changes not just with the kids but with families,” said Bell Elementary principal Lorraine Hulbert. “I’ll watch in the cafeteria and I can see them make different choices.”

Students from Binghamton University’s Health and Wellness Studies Department run the program, which meets every Monday after school. Their nutrition lessons include teaching the kids about “always foods”, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. They also lead fun activities like kickball, tag and obstacle courses. 

 

 

“It’s fun because we can do fun things like line tag,” said Knapp.

“We have mostly new kids. Some came back and I think they like it a lot. The returning kids perk up and teach the new kids when we play line tag,” said Binghamton University teaching assistant Iliya Yaroshevskiy.

“I’ve got kids moving now that I was really worried about before. I didn’t know if they were getting enough activity,” said Hulbert. 

While the program has grown within Bell Elementary, Hulbert still needs to see if it can expand to other schools in the District.

“Hopefully in the spring we can try to expand to other elementary buildings. But, I need more interns,” said Hulbert. 

The program’s goal of pairing wellness lessons with fun seems to have worked. Some Bell Elementary students have made healthy changes inside and outside of school.

“I play outside and run around a lot more now,” said Knapp.