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A healthier generation feels empowered

By Sean Kuhn
Posted 6/17/22

BETHEL — Sullivan 180 held its second annual award ceremony for their “Empowering a Healthier Generation” program, which is aimed at promoting health and wellness in young people …

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A healthier generation feels empowered

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BETHEL — Sullivan 180 held its second annual award ceremony for their “Empowering a Healthier Generation” program, which is aimed at promoting health and wellness in young people through various school programs.

Sullivan County is ranked 61 out of the 62 counties in New York for overall health outcomes, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Sullivan 180 intends to change that. Schools that worked to promote healthy habits received various awards, each with $500 to continue their various wellness programs.

To kick off the program, Executive Director of Special Programs, Dana Taylor, did a “land acknowledgement” to honor the Lenni-Lenape tribes that once lived in the area.

Following the land acknowledgement, Mrs. Taylor led a moment of silence for the victims of the recent violence in schools and comm­unities.Then Comm­issioner of Health and Family Services, John Little, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Sandra Gerry, founder of Sullivan 180, introduced a short documentary about the program and the problems they plan to solve.

Executive Director Amanda Langseder said who had this “Sullivan County has been at the bottom of the county health rankings for far too long. Now we are really rallying the schools to help us change the school environment … to get our kids healthier, to reduce childhood obesity here, [and] to reduce mental health issues amongst youth…”

Many schools around Sullivan County really stepped up and made big improvements in health and wellness education. Schools constructed outdoor classrooms, sensory learning spaces, nature trails, vegetable gardens and implemented new learning materials in the classroom to help students not only learn about good nutrition but to practice it as well. Teachers and staff throughout the county have done an extraordinary job looking for opportunities to improve the physical and mental well-being of our children.

There were a dozen awards given out to schools who went above and beyond this year. The awards had several different categories highlighting the different approaches to building a culture of health and wellness in our schools:

• Mother Earth – Tri-Valley Central School

• Collaborator- Eldred High School

• Collaborator- Fallsburg High School

• Nutrition- Livingston Manor Central School

• Nutrition- Roscoe Central School

• Physical Activity- Liberty High School

• Physical Activity- Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary

• Water – Liberty Middle School

• Mental Health- Sullivan West Elementary

• Mental Health- BOCES

The last two awards received special recognition for the top Healthy Generations (HG) advisor and school committee of the year:

• HG Advisor of the Year- Kayla O'Dell from Sullivan West elementary

• HG Committee of the Year- George L. Cooke Elementary led by Elisa Mendels

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