Physical health and mental wellness is one of the focus areas of Bristol Borough’s “All Our Children” program, a project of the Academic Oversight Committee (AOC) of Bristol Borough’s 21st Century Learning Center. As a kick off to this initiative, the AOC and Bristol Borough School District sponsored the 1st annual Wellness Fair in October. This unique resource fair focused on providing a variety of resources and activities geared toward improving the physical and mental health of students and their families, with the objective of enhancing the “whole child.” Over 900 attendees came to learn from a range of vendors and to engage in a variety of activities.
The nurse’s office was a hub for blood pressure screenings, immunization information, and nutrition information. Snyder-Girotti service learning club members provided healthy snacks in the student pantry. Yoga, dance, martial arts, and boxing demos occurred in the elementary gym, while a variety of organizations such as the Peace Center, Early Learning Resource Center, Autism Cares Foundation set up learning stations in the large group instruction room. The AOC and its partners support a year round healthy, safe, engaged and supportive learning environment in which students are not only challenged academically but are also offered opportunities to grow and develop physically, emotionally, and socially.