At Peninsula, the goal of our health program is to motivate our students by educating them on the benefits of making healthy decisions, rather than the fear or consequences of unhealthy decisions.

Various activities we do to achieve our goal:

• Discuss and practice stress management strategies
• Review the signs/symptoms of depression and how to get help
• Encourage, educate, and practice healthy diet and exercise
• Discuss healthy decision making steps and strategies
• Discuss how to create and maintain healthy relationships of all kinds
• How to set goals and reflect on past mistakes and behaviors

Nutrition Unit Example: Above, students are working on a lesson that branches off of the book “Eat This, Not That.” Here they review actual foods (as seen on desks) from restaurants in our area that they would typically eat at. Most of these restaurants are ones that are fast, cheap, and realistic. After working in groups to determine which of the two food choices on their desk is healthier, we discuss the nutrition facts to come up with the right answer. One goal from this lesson would be for students to understand why choosing the grilled chicken sandwich over the breaded chicken salad is a better health choice. Further, when they are in a situation where the only dinner option is fast food, they can make a healthy, more educated decision.