Advocates for Health

The Creek Valley Wellness Committee won a Connecting with Kids Leadership Award for their work at Creek Valley Elementary School, which includes starting a running club, initiating Mix It Up Day, and introducing new fruit and vegetable options into the cafeteria. Mix It Up Day is one of the group’s most ambitious endeavors. It involves getting students out of their cliques by requiring them to sit with other groups at lunch for that day. The before-school running club is incredibly popular, with more than 200 regular participants. According to Allison Schmidt, committee chairwoman, the running club makes students more focused and ready to learn. “Teachers tell me Wednesdays are their favorite days to teach,” Schmidt says. All it takes for other schools to implement similar programs is a few dedicated members, as demonstrated by this small yet powerful group.