All-Star status<\/a> on the Alliance\u2019s America\u2019s Healthiest Schools list.<\/p>\nSchools apply to be recognized. While nine other city schools made the list, Phillips achieved \u201cAll-Star\u201d status, which means it implemented best practices across areas in: school health services, wellness policies for students and staff, nutrition and food access, physical and health education, social-emotional health and learning, being tobacco-free, and family engagement.<\/p>\n
Curtisville Primary Center in the Deer Lakes School District is the other state All-Star school on the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really try to embed these things so it\u2019s natural,\u201d said Phillips Principal Dana Boesenberg. \u201cTeachers weave it in with their curriculum, and it\u2019s organic. We try to be in real time with things, and if there\u2019s an issue in class, we try to make it meaningful. I think students respond well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school has placed an emphasis on social-emotional learning, and uses the district\u2019s curriculum teaching self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making, Boesenberg said. Phillips has spaces in the school where students can calm down if they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious.<\/p>\n
Students are recognized for positive behavior through school announcements and prizes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids love nothing more than seeing their name in shout-outs,\u201d Boesenberg said. \u201cWe showcase students\u2019 positive behaviors and interactions, and it\u2019s motivating.\u201d<\/p>\n
First grade student Gianna Gault, 6, said being recognized is special.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me feel happy,\u201d Gianna said. \u201cI was student of the month in kindergarten.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meeting students where they are<\/p>\n
Phillips teachers encourage students to try new things. Students\u2019 knowledge on health varies, said Jennifer Bichler, health and physical education teacher.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some kids who know jackfruits and dragon fruits, and others who think a potato is a fruit,\u201d she said. \u201cWe run the gamut of what they understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school works with outside organizations to provide healthy food to families interested, Boesenberg said. Even something as simple as how breakfast and lunch food is placed and presented on a tray can make a student more open to trying something new and healthy, said Shannon Bender, food service manager.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s trying to get them to try new things, expand their palate and provide a healthier lifestyle,\u201d Bender said. \u201cWe make it more appealing to kids. The more appealing it is, the more likely they are to try it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even physical education class at Phillips doesn\u2019t look traditional. Bichler brings in professional guests to lead lessons like yoga, ballet or ballroom dancing. Class periods often give students options for activities, which Boesenberg complimented.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe concept of student choice is sometimes missed, and why students disengage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Over the years Bichler has been a teacher, students have become more fidgety, she said. She tries to keep students as active as possible in physical education class, and she plans a \u201cwalking classroom\u201d this year. That initiative includes students walking indoors while listening to a podcast that matches the school curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to get them to see lifelong fitness,\u201d she said. \u201cWalking and running help deescalate feelings, build friendships and take care of their body.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Educate as much as I can\u2019<\/p>\n
A lot of the school\u2019s health initiatives are geared toward students. But there\u2019s still a focus on the adults in the building, too, said school nurse Colleen Schultz. She\u2019s worked on leading blood pressure and weight loss for teachers.<\/p>\n
Students are increasingly entering school with more complex medical needs than before \u2014 including feeding tubes, straight casts, severe seizure epilepsy and diabetes \u2014 Schultz said. While tending to daily needs, Schultz also works with students to help them become more independent. That could include working with a diabetic student to help them figure out their carbs for lunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to educate as much as I can,\u201d she said. \u201cI like to have them get involved as much as possible. It helps them learn more, and they\u2019re more engaged.\u201d Phillips also met criteria for tobacco-free education.<\/p>\n
Bichler said the school partners with UPMC and Adagio Health to provide age-appropriate lessons on that subject.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn example would be how can we keep our lungs healthy, and what might make them unhealthy?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Families are the school\u2019s strongest asset, principal says<\/p>\n
Fifth grade student Jace Rutherford, 10, is one of Phillips\u2019 \u201cStudent Envoy\u201d leaders. He and his peers promote a positive, healthy culture to other students at the school through initiatives like lessons and posters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say, \u2018Be respectful and responsible,\u2019 and \u2018Don\u2019t give up,\u2019 \u201d Jace said. \u201cThey tell people not to do bad things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Families support the school projects, said Melissa Ott, first grade teacher and the school\u2019s family and community engagement coordinator. Phillips\u2019 student population is 242, and it is a partial magnet school, meaning it serves local neighborhood students while also accepting students from across the city through a lottery system.<\/p>\n
More than 150 parents attended a recent math night at the school, Boesenberg said. Ott said staff plans an internet safety night with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape to help parents keep their children safe online.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a fine line to balance,\u201d Boesenberg said of screen time. \u201cThe device is used every day for education and learning. When you think about what the world looks like now, if we aren\u2019t teaching them how to use it, we\u2019re not setting them up for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The staff\u2019s wellbeing also plays a role in the school\u2019s success. Boesenberg said, with different initiatives and goals teachers are saddled with, staff support for an initiative like Healthiest Schools could be a challenge. But it\u2019s not at Phillips, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all buy-in because we see it working,\u201d Bichler said.<\/p>\n
Social worker Stephanie Cohen said Boesenberg\u2019s leadership makes staff feel supported at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of what happens here involves staff being happy and confident here,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cA lot of what happens makes the not-so-fun times, when they happen, easier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A normal school day at Pittsburgh Phillips PreK-5 in the South Side doesn\u2019t look or sound anything like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297054,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-297053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}