Pott County Certified as an Official Blue Zones Community

Pott County Certifed as an Official Blue Zones Community

In August, Avedis Foundation, Sharecare and Blue Zones, LLC announced Pottawatomie County as the first certified Blue Zones Community in the state of Oklahoma, a recognition of the project’s impact on locals’ overall health and wellness through optimizing public policy and the places and spaces where people spend the most time.

The certification represents more than three years of collaboration among private and public groups focused on increasing awareness and participation in physical, mental and social health programs. To reach the certification status, Blue Zones Project Pottawatomie County had to demonstrate that 50 percent of the top 20 identified worksites, 25 percent of schools, 25 percent of restaurants, 25 percent of grocery stores and 50 percent of the top 20 faithbased groups met the trademarked Blue Zones Project Approved requirements. On the individual level, 25 percent of citizens must have committed to the Blue Zones Project and completed at least one well-being improvement action with more than 5,000 individuals taking the Blue Zones Personal Pledge.

This certification recognized all the work that staff and volunteers – including 329 residents who put in 2,557 volunteer hours – to help get to this point, Avedis Foundation president and CEO Kathy Lester said.

“It represents our desire to really improve our community and to make Shawnee a great place to live,” Laster said. “We knew creating an environment like this … people would be attracted to our community because of the emphasis on health and wellness.”

The goals set by the Blues Zones Project to improve the health, wellness and quality of life of county citizens fit well in line with the Avedis Foundation’s mission, which is one of the reasons the organization decided to collaborate with Sharecare and Blue Zones to bring the project to the community, Laster said. The local Blue Zones Project initiative aims to use resources in the area to make the healthy choice the easy choice.

by David Dinsmore

Pottawatomie County became a certified Blue Zones Community following more than three years of work getting officials, individuals and organizations to commit to wellness initiatives to improve the lives of locals and attract people to an area with a concerted focus on mind, body and spiritual health. Photos submitted

“We loved the Blue Zones approach because it's not just about diet and exercise,” Laster said. “It's not telling you how to eat. It's a whole mind-body-spirit approach. It's about knowing your sense of purpose. It's about having a sense of belonging. It's about the need for social support in the improvement we need to make and not having social isolation. It's swimming upstream against all of those kinds of changes in our society.”

Officials on a variety of levels noted the announcement last month to recognize the community’s certification.

“I am so proud of the entire Blue Zones Project Pottawatomie County team. Every project

leader, volunteer, business partner and our entire community worked together to become a certified Blue Zones Community,” Shawnee Mayor Ed Bolt said. “It is certainly an honor for Shawnee and Pottawatomie County to achieve this milestone.”

The challenges Blue Zones Project seeks to tackle are those faced by many communities in the state, state Rep. Danny Sterling said.

“I have both recently and currently been working on legislation to address many of the same issues that have been brought to light by Blue Zones Project to address the alarming risks of such a high number of our state's citizens being physically unfit, especially our youth,” Sterling said. “I have followed the progress of Blue Zones Project closely since it was introduced to Pottawatomie County in 2017 and have seen firsthand the positive impact the initiative has had on the community’s well-being.”

Among the achievements that helped the local Blue Zones Project achieve this certification are:

Blue Zones Project Approved worksite Gordon Cooper Technology Center experienced a 38 percent increase in employee participation in their well-being program; 17 percent increase in employees completing the program requirements; 13 percent increase in employee biometric screening participation; and 20 percent decrease in employees with a red BMI rating indicating obesity

Other Blue Zones Project Approved worksites also enjoyed positive outcomes, with more than a third of SSM Health St. Anthony – Shaw

nee employees completing the Blue Zones Personal Pledge

Georg Fischer Central Plastic reported a 600 percent increase in the number of employees utilizing fitness center benefits from 18 employees to 113 while costs associated with absenteeism decreased significantly

Students from schools participating in the Walking School Bus program walked 7,818 miles in 2019

Local restaurants added more than 70 plantbased items to their menus

Blue Zones Project and community partners successfully leveraged $115,500 in grant funding for projects including Safe Routes to Parks, school and community gardens and Veggie Rx

The rate of cigarette smoking among Pottawatomie County youth ages 13 – 17 years old declined from 12.5 percent in 2017 to 9.1 percent in 2018, while many of the Blue Zones Project Approved worksites have adopted tobacco-free policies and campuses, according to the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.

“This achievement is a great example of a public-private partnership working together to improve the health and well-being of an entire community," Rep. Kendra Horn said. “The hard work of volunteers, community partners, businesses and community leaders has increased the quality of life and vitality for the whole community and serves as an inspiration for many.”

In addition to the physical health benefits measured as a result of the project, the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index (CWBI) research conducted in Shawnee in 2019 showed that 69 percent of those respondents engaged in Blue Zones activities report that they are thriving in their life self-evaluation versus 48 percent of those surveyed who are not as engaged. Shawnee also outperformed Oklahoma state trends in four key areas of health risk: poor nutrition, lack of exercise, lack of purpose and dissatisfaction with standard of living.

“We know that communities with greater well-being have lower healthcare costs, higher productivity and are recognized among the best places to live, work and play,” Michael Acker, senior vice president and general manager of Blue Zones Project by Sharecare, said in a release by Blue Zones Project. “With a strong focus on well-being improvement throughout the community, Pottawatomie County has proven they are dedicated to the health of their residents along with the economic and social vitality of the community.”

Laster is glad that so many have shared in the goals of the local Blue Zones Project so far and the larger aims of the Avedis Foundation, which has been working in the community since 2012.

“I'm really proud of the way our Avedis board has embraced helping our community.,” Laster said. “They're very forward thinking, and they've stepped out and taken some risk and made some investments that not all foundations do.

“Our community is better because of the people that have served on our board.”

WELCOME HOME

Canda White

Sr. Mortgage Loan Consultant NMLS# 469222 • Quick approval • Construction to • First-time home buyer permanent financing loans • Debt consolidation • FHA, VA & USDA loans • Flexible repayment • Jumbo loans options Call m e today!

912 E. Independence St. | Shawnee, OK Office: 405-273-1761 | Direct: 405-615-3603 Fax: 405-395-9699 Email: cwhite@firstunitedbank.com Web: cwhite.fubmortgage.com

MORTGAGE

Banking :: Mortgage :: Insurance :: Wealth Management

GATEWAY TO PREVENTION RECOVERY

To keep your stash safe and sound, invest in a lockbox.

Kids, pets, or even visitors can get into marijuana if it’s not locked up and out of sight. It’s always best to keep marijuana in the child-resistant packaging from the retailer, and invest in a safe or lock box to ensure the only person who can get to your marijuana is you because even as your kids get older, it’s important to keep your stash locked away safe and sound. If a child accidentally eats marijuana in any form, immediately contact a medical professional or call the poison control hotline (1-800-222-1222). You may know if someone has accidentally used marijuana if he has problems walking or sitting up, difficulty breathing and becoming sleepy. If the reaction seems more severe, call 911 or go to an emergency room right away.

Sharing is not caring.

Not only is sharing marijuana with people under 18 is against the law, it can hurt their health, get them in trouble, and put their future goals at risk. You could be charged with a felony if you share with anyone under age, even if they’re family members or friends.

For more information about safe storage of marijuana or youth substance abuse prevention, please call 405-275-3391 or email aflood@gatewaytoprevention.org.

Shawnee Students Have Occupied at Least 4 High School, 12 Elementary Buildings Since 1890s

The Shawnee school system is not much older than 100 years and has seen lots of changes, but there has not been one quite like the one this year.

During those early years, however, there were many interesting efforts to educate Shawnee children. Some involved the dozen buildings that have come and gone. Shawnee has had four high school buildings and 12 grade schools, not including temporary places in the earliest days. Eight are now no more than memories of former pupils and teachers, and some that remain may be still used in other ways as reminders of the changes in our hometown.

Subscription schools began soon after the land run in 1891. The first dedicated school was a wood structure built in Woodland Park, then in 1899, Central School was built on about the same site with an $8,000 bond issue. Elementary classes were on the main floor and high school students studied upstairs.

In 1904, school buildings in each of the four districts – Franklin, Horace Mann, Jefferson and Washington – were all constructed by the same floor plan. As Shawnee grew, Harrison and Irving were added by 1910.

The high school was built at Union and Highland in 1920. Two years earlier, Dunbar was built at Union and Bentley for black students, and a junior high was constructed on the site of old Central. It’s still in use as the district’s administration building.

Woodrow Wilson was the next grade school to be built as the city’s population moved farther north. It was on the grounds of the former “country school,” Rose Garden, also using those four classrooms.

Horace Mann’s original building was replaced in 1928, one of only two of the original ward schools still in existence today. Jefferson could only use four classrooms after being damaged by a tornado in 1924. When federal programs began in 1933, Jefferson was reportedly the first school in this area to use Public Works Administration funds. Washington’s and Franklin’s original structures were also replaced with larger ones.

In 1932, Robert E. Lee became part of Shawnee schools, then it was 20 years before any new buildings were added except for the high school, which had to be replaced when the original structure burned in 1948. Will Rogers was added in

This postcard provides a snapshot of five of Shawnee’s school buildings that have served to educate local children since the early days of the community. Photo submitted

1953 and Sequoyah in 1963. Acme voted for annexation into the Shawnee district in 1970. Juniors and seniors moved to the location on Kennedy, and their old building became a mid-high. In the following years, it was finished, and all classes were then at the same place.

In 1964, Harrison was closed but was opened the next year as Harrison Annex housing the influx of the Baby Boomers (sophomores) from the high school, whose class size of 450-500 students was more than 100 above the usual enrollment. After two years, Harrison then became the district administration building until it was torn down to make way for a highway widening.

Classes at Irving (329 N. Louisa) ceased in 1965, and the building was torn down in 1971. Robert E. Lee (1200 N. Tucker) was sold to a church in 1982.

During the 1980s, the schools were utilized as grade centers, each housing just one grade. Franklin then became a school for Early Childhood classes and is now used for storage. Woodrow Wilson is now used for adult education classes. Buildings continued to be used for whatever school leaders saw as necessary to serve Shawnee students.

The most recent new school buildings in Shawnee include the middle school in 1999 and the Early Childhood Center in 2007. A bond issue was recently passed to build a far north grade school on 45th Street.

Tracking the school sites and their disappearance, one can see the changing demographics of Shawnee. In the early days when the population was concentrated and children walked to class, a mile and a half was considered appropriate.

Former classmates today may encounter each other and say, “I went to Irving with them” or “We were in the third grade together at Robert E. Lee,” but their children and grandchildren may have no idea this is referring to Shawnee schools …or at least the ghosts of them.