Pottstown Area Schools Awarded Over $13,000 through Checklist Challenge

The Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation awarded over $13,152 to Pottstown Area schools as part of the MUSC Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness (BCCW) School-Based Wellness Initiative.

This year’s three advanced-award winners were:

• West-Mont Christian Academy – Overall winner $1,400
• West Vincent Elementary (OJR) – Physical Activity $900
• East Vincent (OJR) – Rookie of the Year $600

This is the 7th year that Pottstown area schools have participated in the wellness initiative. This year, the initiative was successfully implemented in a total of 29 schools across six school districts and reached more than 21,000 area students.  The money awarded to schools help fund the schools’ wellness committees to continue to fund wellness activities in the coming school year.

These schools and districts have implemented activities to further the efforts to create a culture of wellness in schools, including this year’s checklist challenge face mask contest, in which students from across the area submitted over 200 custom face mask designs that promoted social and emotional learning, good nutrition, and active lifestyles.

“This program is core to what our Foundation is doing to foster wellness in schools and across our communities, and every year it becomes more and more important,” said Howard Brown, senior program officer, who oversees the implementation of the initiative.

The MUSC BCCW School-Based Wellness Initiative engages schools and districts in creating a culture of wellness by utilizing the School Wellness Checklist, which serves as a guide to choose evidence-based wellness strategies and resources that meet the needs of a school community. Schools earn points based on the number of strategies and activities that they implement, and are awarded funds based on the number of points that they earn. Learn more about the MUSC BCCW School-Based Wellness Initiative.

Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation is a nonprofit community organization that serves communities within a 10-mile radius of Pottstown. The Foundation partners with non-profits, local government, and schools to ensure that every member of our community has the opportunity to embrace a healthy lifestyle.

This year’s challenge participants included the following 29 schools. Boyertown Area School District: Boyertown Area Senior High School, Boyertown Elementary School, Boyertown Middle School East, Boyertown Middle School West, Colebrookdale Elementary School, Earl Elementary School, Gilbertsville Elementary, and Washington Elementary School. Daniel Boone School District: Daniel Boone High School, Daniel Boone Intermediate Center, Daniel Boone Middle School, and Daniel Boone Primary Center. Owen J. Roberts School District: East Coventry Elementary, East Vincent Elementary, French Creek Elementary, North Coventry Elementary School, Owen J Roberts High School, Owen J Roberts Middle School, and West Vincent Elementary. Perkiomen Valley School District: Perkiomen Valley High School. Pottsgrove School District: Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School, Pottsgrove High School, Ringing Rocks Elementary, and West Pottsgrove Elementary. Pottstown School District: Franklin Elementary School, Pottstown High School. Private Schools: Brookeside Montessori, St. Aloysius, and West-Mont Christian Academy.