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Health & Wellness

Recent brain research makes a clear case that students are simply not active enough. By increasing student activity, achievement will rise and negative behaviors will decrease.
Ludlow-Taylor is one of ten schools chosen to join the new DCPS School Design Lab for the 2018-2019 school year. We will focus on developing a Health and Wellness program modeled around Spark, a Harvard-researched book that explains the connection between exercise and the brain. The foundational shifts for this program will begin with the following activities: 

The Mission: At Ludlow-Taylor ES, we feel that it is our mission to maximize student outcomes academically, socially, and physically.  By examining incredible research from Dr. John Ratey in Spark, we are confident that with strategic planning around a health-positive school structure, students’ chances of having the most successful, healthy and joyful lives beyond LTES will dramatically improve. 
 
The Research: According to the Center for Disease Control, “in the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s, with data from 2015-2016 showing that nearly 1 in 5 school age children and young people (6 to 19 years) in the United States has obesity.”  There is an additional 30% of children on the cusp of having obesity.  Additionally, according to Brain Rules by John Medina, “children who are fit, have a higher ability to access cognitive resources to a task and do so for a longer period of time.” We can infer from this that students do not access to sufficient physical activity and nutritional instruction during the school-day, negatively impacting student physical health, while also not allowing for maximum learning opportunities. 
 
The Plan: Working with multiple partners across Washington, DC, we plan to include the following components in the first year of our school design, connected via our mission of every LTES student, staff and community member finding the best version of themselves:
  • Staff Wellness: Recognizing the importance of staff wellness, ample opportunities will be provided for exercise and/or mental health support, including: group exercise classes, school wellness center, extended daily breaks, staff clubs and mental health support.
  • Spark Block/Boost: Students in Grades 3-5 will begin everyday with a fitness class based around cardiovascular health, set up as circuit training. For LTES, this will take place from 8:25 – 8:55 a.m., with a quick and healthy breakfast that follows prior to the academic blocks.  Students in Grades ECE-2 will experience a Spark Boost, an additional block of guided play.
  • Physical Education as Fitness Curriculum: The goal of physical education classes will be to “develop healthy habits, skills, a sense of fun, along with knowledge of how the body works.”  Students will also receive Health and Physical Education twice a week, in addition to the daily Spark Block/Boost.
  • Nutrition/Science Class: Science class will shift towards health and nutrition, particularly around the impact of exercise on the physical and mental body, along with healthy eating.  To do so, FoodPrints will shift from an outside partner to a full-time program.
  • Health-Positive Environment: Current school infrastructure will be redesigned to enhance health-positive outcomes for students and adults, including: cafeteria redesign (round tables, dedicated food space, acoustic panels, redecoration, etc.), dedicated indoor/covered physical education space (partitioned multi-purpose room and outdoor gym)
  • Classroom Brain Boosts: Classrooms will incorporate brain and body breaks, to enhance current curriculum and instructional practice.  Teachers will be trained to include one to five-minute classroom activities, allowing the body and brain to stay active, such as: mindful minutes, quick yoga, group dance, stretching, etc.

Design Team

The program is being developed by a Design Tea. Members are:
  • Miriam Kenyon, DCPS Health and PE Director
  • Coach Smith, LT PE Instructor
  • Ms. Addison, LT Asst. Principal
  • Ms. Miller, LT Occupational Therapist
  • Ms. Hippolyte, LT Science/FoodPrints Instructor

Submit feedback

The model is a work in progress. Please feel free to provide feedback, to help us as we continue to plan.

Questions?

Please contact Principal Smith.