HealthCorps students entertained, educated peers at health fair Story and photos by karen wilkinson
The third annual Encina Preparatory High School health fair – on Friday, April 24 and organized by HealthCorps – featured performances by the Sacramento Kings Dancers and the school dance team iDigit. The fair included interactive community and student-run booths and activities: • meditation and breathing technique • West African drum and dance • yoga and AcroYoga • Teen Battle Chef, with a focus on the health benefits of walnuts • performances by the Sacramento Kings Dancers and iDigit The iDigit dance team was formed by HealthCorps Coordinator Kristen Rulison and includes students with roots from Mexico, Congo, Turkey and Sacramento. The group has recently performed at the Crocker Art Museum. The California Walnut Board funds Encina’s HealthCorps coordinator to promote lifestyle wellness including nutrition, physical activity, and mental resilience, along with advocating for a healthier environment on campus and in the community. It’s an opportunity for students and staff to build awareness around hypertension, stress relief, disease prevention, depression, pregnancy prevention and care, addictive substances and substance abuse, by acquiring new skillsets for their lives in a fun, exciting way. HealthCorps is a nonprofit founded in 2003 by Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife Lisa that implements an innovative in-school model designed to inspire teens to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. HealthCorps is active in 55 schools across 11 states and the District of Columbia. Through the Active Alliance, California’s professional basketball teams partner with two to four HealthCorps schools and execute Alliance programming in tandem with community relations staff from the teams. The program was founded by the California Endowment. 18
Arden-Carmichael News • May 14, 2015 • www.valcomnews.com
Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.