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CITY, ND – The City County Health Public Health Award of the Year for 2015 was presented to the Jefferson Elementary School PTO and also to Misty Kaufman.

“The Jefferson School PTO is being recognized for their efforts to promote health for students as well as their parents—for families!,” stated Theresa Will, CCHD director.  “ The Jefferson School PTO happily adopted the Valley City School Wellness Policy which related to providing good nutrition and increasing physical activity.”

They promote fun, family activities WITHOUT focusing on food.

At MOVIE NIGHT they use the  Concession Stand Guidelines from the VCPS Wellness Policy and always offer carrots and apple slices as a choice, and never serve soda pop or  sweetened beverages.They focus on exercise activities WITHOUT always serving food such as FAMILY SKATE NIGHT.  At READING FRENZY the PTO serves milk and a cookie make with 100% whole wheat flour.  PTO members always help prepare and serve the GIANT FRUIT SALAD each fall (for more than 5 years).

The Jefferson School PTO also does fund raising.  In 2011, the PTO recognized that VCPS would have a new, more encompassing Wellness Policy and so they changed their main fundraising activity which was selling ‘peelers’ which offer special prices at restaurants, but which usually promoted high fat, high calorie foods.  They initiated the FIELD DAY!

Every spring the PTO designs a day where students can participate in fun physical activities outside and also in the Youth Sports Complex, to heighten the fun of physical activity.

The event also raises money for the school by selling Bingo Cards to community members.

The FIELD DAY Bingo Fund Raiser raised over $6000 more the first year than the unhealthy peeler cards, and this past year it raised over $12,000 more! 

Misty Kaufman was the other Public Health Award winner.  She has held various offices within the Jefferson School PTO and is the leader of the Jefferson FIELD DAY.  Misty works on Field Day the entire year, designing logos, the focus for the year, prizes and activities. The scope of the project is big! Field Day has continuous activities for the over 300 Jefferson students starting at 10:00 am and ending around 2:30 pm.  Examples of activities are an obstacle course, catapult launch and catch, relay races, and more.

Misty has commented that ‘since Jefferson has discontinued selling peeler cards we were trying to come up with something that is simple and profitable, while supporting  the school’s commitment to living a healthy lifestyle.”

Sharon Buhr, CCHD board chair, applauded Misty as being “creative and passionate…a key reason the Field Day is such a huge success!”

Will concluded that, “many times we think of ‘health’ in terms of getting better after we’ve had a disease.  But public health refers to all organized measures, everything that all organizations do, to PREVENT disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole.”  Public Health activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy.  When we say public health we mean everything that’s going on in our town and area that is related to keeping our children, teens and adults healthy.

Theresa Will, CCHD director (left) and Sharon Buhr, CCHD Board Chair, (right), present the Public Health Award for 2015 to Misty Kaufman (center), who spearheaded Field Day, a day of exercise and fun for the Jefferson Elementary students and the Bingo Donation Event which has raised funds for the school following the VCPS Wellness Policy guidelines.