Donor who helped Monroe schools take over, expand wellness center pledges more for improvements, upkeep, scholarships

The Monroe County Schools are getting a $1 million-plus donation for a family wellness center and scholarships for graduates of the county's only high school from businessman George Eagle Bushong of Bradenton, Fla., who grew up in a prominent Monroe County family.

George Bushong and daughter Isabelle

School Supt. Lewis Darrell Carter told Shelley Smith of the Glasgow Daily Times that Bushong had mentioned his intent to donate $50,000 a year for 10 years for the  Monroe County Family Wellness Center, and surprised him two weeks ago by adding an extra $55,000 for the next decade for various scholarships.

The schools took ownership in November 2011 of the center, "which was built on property owned by the school district," Smith reports. "Since then, Carter said the wellness center membership has gone up from 340 members to 1,200." The annual donations will pay for an indoor digital golf machine, a swimming scoreboard and maintenance of the George and Isabelle Bushong Foundation Aquatic Center, which Bushing helped build to hold swim meets and was named for his daughter.

Asst. Supt. Amy Thompson told Smith the wellness center is heavily used by student athletes for training, physical education classes and afterschool fitness classes. “It gives the kids something to do to include fitness in their lives,” she said. " Carter said he’s even seen families meet at the wellness center to work out together," Smith reports. "He said the funding to help support this facility will be great service to community. . . . To pay homage to Bushong’s generous donations, Carter said they will change the name of the wellness center to the George and Isabelle Bushong Foundation Monroe County Family Wellness Center."

Covington schools show 'Fitness Rocks' by lowering body mass, lifting the bars of nutrition, wellness and academic achievement

Sparks are flying in Covington Independent Schools. The schools' Fitness Rocks program, which combines fitness and wellness activities in an after-school program four or five days a week to create a healthier community for students, is the reported cause of fire.

The district's after-school student activities are based on the SPARK (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids) curriculum for out-of-school-time, and the district reports great success since the program launched three years ago.

Since then, students' body mass has shrunk 4 percent, and there has been a 6 percent increase in the number of students who engage in at least an hour of daily physical activity and the number of students eating fruits two or more times a day, and vegetables three or more times a day, reports Julie Wohlleb of the Kentucky School Boards Association.

Students in Fitness Rocks also saw a greater increase in their math and science MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) scores than students not participating. “It’s been demonstrated how students who are active 60 minutes or more a day have increased academic success,” Haggard told Wohlleb.  

The program is also being used for professional development for physical education teachers, and "The SPARK curriculum has been really helpful in giving our fitness coaches and PE teachers ways to get all kids engaged no matter their skill level,” Haggard told Wohlleb.

The district started Fitness Rocks three years ago at each of its seven schools through a Carol M. White Physical Education grant from the U. S. Department of Education. The program encourages a range of activities to keep students active, from playing flag football to video games, and so far, 55 percent of elementary students and 19 percent of high school students across the district have participated in the program this year.

In addition to after-school activities, Fitness Rocks provides healthy snacks and sponsors family nights at every school that focus on fitness, wellness and nutrition, and program coordinators are witnessing changes in health behaviors across the district. “We’ve been really working hard, especially this year, at finding a sustainability model because it has been so impactful for the community and parents and students alike; they just love it,” Haggard said. (Read more)

New website for after-school programs promotes 'Drink Right, Move More and Snack Smart' to fight childhood obesity

To combat the country's childhood obesity epidemic, ChildObesity180, a new initiative from Tufts University, has launched Healthy Kids Hub, a website with resources for out-of-school-time programs, encouraging kids to develop and adopt three universal nutrition and physical activity principles: "Drink Right, Move More and Snack Smart."

The Hub offers free activity, nutrition and equipment support to volunteers, coaches and leaders in out-of-school-time programs, which serve tens of millions of children and have been identified as a promising area for obesity prevention efforts, the site says.

In Kentucky, almost 18 percent of middle-school-age children and 16 percent of elementary-age kids are obese, says a recent report from the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health.

Research shows that foods and beverages, as well as opportunities for physical activity, vary greatly in out-of-school programs, so the Hub promotes greater consistency in such programs and provides resources to help children follow healthy habits while out of school.

The website was launched at the National Afterschool Association convention in Indianapolis last week, according to a release. Visitors to the website can complete a brief survey to get resources tailored to their specific needs. Click here for the website.