Going above and beyond in a district of high achievers can be tough, but Heidi Stan, Wellness Department Chair for Riverside Junior High makes it look easy.

Heidi is known throughout the district for not only having a passion for health and fitness, but also the ability to convey that energy to her students.    She has been award several fitness related grants from the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation (HSSF) and the Geist Half Marathon.   These grants have brought heart rate monitors, JoyFitstix, Power Ropes, and stability balls to hundreds of students.

“Exercise is one of the best ways to prevent the rapid growth of obesity in America.  It is important that we teach our students to track and monitor their heart rates, so they know how hard and efficiently they are working, but it is also important to have fun,” says Heidi.  She also regularly shares her favorite quote with her students, “take care of your body – it’s the only place you have to live.”

And she’s right.   Indiana has the eighth-highest percentage of children who are obese and currently on in three Hoosier kids are overweight or obese.  According to Jump in for Healthy Kids, obesity not only impacts quality of life and mental health, but also academic achievement.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed.  Mrs. Stan was recently honored as the National Health Teacher of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE).   This award was given in recognition of Heidi’s outstanding teaching performance as well as her ability to motivate students to embrace a lifetime of physical fitness.  In addition, she has just been named the 2014 Indiana Shape America Middle School PE Teacher of the Year!

Stan is delighted to be a spokesperson for youth health, but emphasizes it is a community effort, “It takes everyone working in tandem to make a difference: students, parents, and teachers.  We are fortunate here in HSE to have a foundation that recognizes the impact fitness has on the overall health of our students and the willingness to invest dollars to support that impact.”

For more information on other fitness related programs supported from the foundation click here.  (I’d like this to link to a fitness gram article I’ll send you that should go under the district initiatives.)

For more information about our community partner, the Geist Half Marathon, click here.