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Grants in Action
Health Night at Martha Jones
Families Get Physical
By Monica Parker-James
After a long and snowy winter, signs of spring are cropping up all over town. Bubbling Brook is selling ice cream. Crocuses are poking through flowerbeds. Folks are fishing at Buckmaster Pond. And perhaps the surest sign that spring has returned is the sight of kids outside - biking, running, playing soccer and baseball.
The return of spring brings the enjoyment of outdoor activities. It is the perfect time to remind families how to stay healthy and active, not just in the good weather but all year round. For years, Patrick Foley, the Physical Education instructor at the Martha Jones School and Celeste Mahoney, the school’s nurse, talked about offering an evening event for families to emphasize health and fitness. A grant from the Westwood Educational Foundation made the event a reality this month.
 
 
Hundreds of students and parents took part in “Family Health and Fitness Night” at the Martha Jones School. Participants were given a “Ticket to a Healthy Body,” with a list of twenty stations that emphasized different aspects of health and fitness. Families visited stations and received stamps along the way. Those who completed 15 or more stations received “Gold Medal” status at the end of the evening.
Mrs. Mahoney worked with parent and community volunteers to design ten stations aimed at educating families about health topics that affect most kids.
At the sports health station, athletic trainer Bob Barksdale from Sports Health Services at Norwood Hospital played catch with second grader Mark Horsfall. Mark was able to catch the ball easily until Mr. Barksdale gave him a pair of special glasses that simulated the effects of a concussion on his vision. The goal of the activity was to help children to recognize the symptoms of a concussion in themselves and their friends.
Parents Joseph and Antonia Nedder, whose children Joe and Victoria have food allergies, designed a station that gave information and options for snacks families can offer when their children bring home friends with food allergies.
Nurse Mary Beechinor from the Westwood Board of Health gave families valuable information about Lyme’s disease, which has become prevalent in Westwood in recent years. Ms. Beechinor taught families to wear light clothing with long sleeves and pant legs while hiking or playing outdoors, and to always check for ticks after being outside.
Parent Katrina Pignone, who works in a dental office, offered tips on oral health.
“Children who drink only bottled water miss out on the benefits of fluoride found in tap water,” she told participants. “It’s important to make sure kids are getting the fluoride they need.”
Volunteers from the Westwood High School girls track team staffed a station on nutrition which warned of the dangers of junk food and promoted healthy eating.
 
 
“They showed us a bag full of sugar and told us that’s what’s in one can of soda,” said fourth grader Libby James. “It was a lot of sugar!”
On the fitness side, students and parents took part in a wide variety of physical activities designed to show that exercise can be fun. The WEF grant allowed Foley and Mahoney to rent a moonwalk and purchase other equipment for the different stations.
 
“Jumping is a great activity for heart rate – it reinforces the “target heart rate” that we talk about in class,” said Foley.
In the school library, parent Joanne Mueffelmann led a group in yoga, while outside students and parents clipped on pedometers before doing laps around the blacktop.
“The activities are designed to remind kids that there are lots of different options for things you can do to get exercise,” said Foley.
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