Annual Wellness Report

Meet the Team

Rachel Hurshman MPH, RDN, SNS Wellness Coordinator

Johanna Bishop MS, RDN, SNS Nutrition Education Specialist

Danielle Belcher MS Wellness Specialist

Mariah Westlie MS, RDN, SNS Menu & Nutrition Specialist

Letter from the Wellness Coordinator

It’s June and that means it’s time to reflect on another year of impressive accomplishments in the Greeley-Evans School District 6 community! I am honored to lead a team of very talented professionals who are passionate about meeting the needs of our students through nutrition, physical activity and mental health to best support students’ academic achievement. Of course our students can’t reach their best potential without their teachers, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, social workers and so many more trusted adults. We must support our staff and their wellbeing so they can be present for our students. Staff wellness is student wellness.

You will see so many successes outlined in this report. I’m proud of all of them, especially the work we’ve done to restructure our Student Wellness Policy Committee to include a variety of speakers at every meeting to highlight wellness work across the district and the community. This has allowed for breaking down silos to create more partnerships and collaboration. In addition, we implemented a new sports nutrition curriculum this year, thanks to work with graduate students at Colorado State University. This has been an excellent opportunity to provide older students with nutrition education connected with outcomes they can feel on the court or the field. Finally, Johanna was very busy again teaching nutrition and hands-on cooking through Culinary Classroom, leading over 85 classes this year across 18 schools!

I hope you enjoy reviewing this colorful and engaging report. Please reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns or ideas. We would love for you to spread this report far and wide to share the good stories.

We are D6 Wellness.

Sincerely, Rachel Hurshman, MPH, RDN, SNS

Local Wellness Policy

Goal #1 The district will provide a comprehensive learning environment to promote the development and practice of lifelong wellness behaviors

Goal #2 The district will implement and promote nutrition education and proper dietary habits contributing to students’ health status and academic performance

Goal #3 The district will provide opportunities for students to engage in physical activity

Goal #4 The district will support employees by promoting a healthy lifestyle

Goal #1: Lifelong Wellness Behaviors

73% growth in Healthy Classroom Celebrations

12 new smoothie bikes

Snack Drawer

18,850 snacks were provided to students through mental health professionals this year. These snacks help the mental health team build relationships with students and connect them to a trusted adult.

356 snack bags distributed 

Non-Food Rewards

We distributed 87,985 non-food rewards to our students in 473 different classrooms!

Student Wellness Team Leaders

Our “boots on the ground” are our SWTLs. These are staff members in each school who champion wellness for their students. They are amazing and have led many things this year including...

• Running club
• BStrongBfit
• 5210+
• Walk to School Day
• Wellness nights
• Yoga classes
• Healthy Kids’ club
• Garden club

Student Wellness Policy Committee

Our Student Wellness Policy Committee met four times this year to oversee the wellness policy. We had 25 guest speakers from around the district and community share about how they are implementing the wellness policy

Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC)

SHAC had over 50 applications this year and accepted 12 new members, making our total 34 members!

SHAC students ran smoothie bike campaigns at most D6 high schools this year! Booths were run during lunch to promote physical activity, gratitude, and nutrition!

SHAC students created several digital slides with nutrition education and displayed them in their schools

SHAC wrote an open letter to the board this year about the new cell phone policy, making sure student voice is heard in D6 policy decisions.

Goal #2: Nutrition Education

School Gardens

9 active school gardens

$1,090 spent on school gardens

$531,178 spent on local produce

Sports Nutrition

32 Sports Nutrition lessons were given this year to 238 students in 5 different schools. This is a 4-part series that teaches foundational nutrition concepts to improve sports performance.

Culinary Classroom

86 total Culinary Classroom lessons

2087 total students participated

16 different types of lessons offered 

8 different schools participated

Taste Tests

3 cafeteria taste tests have been conducted this year. Some examples of items that have been tested are...

Dill chicken nuggets

Blueberry oatmeal bake

Vegan nuggets

Goal#3: Physical Activity

Walk Bike & Roll to School

15 schools participated in Walk and Bike to School Day this year

10 Walk/Bike audits were conducted by the City of Greeley!

BStrong BFit

4 schools participated in the BStrong BFit program this year, a running club designed to inspire confidence and body positivity in young girls!

5210+ Participation

• K- 785
• 1st - 820 
• 2nd - 715
• 3rd - 808 
• 4th - 525 
• 5th - 711 
• 6th - 104 
• 7th - 146 
• 8th - 104 
• 4,718 total!

5210+ Awards

Most Improved: Dos Rios

Most Submissions: Martinez, Meeker, McAuliffe, Fred Tjardes

Goal #4: Staff Wellness

Worksite Wellness Programming

We had great participation in our Worksite Wellness programming this year! Check out the numbers!

• 322 staff engaged in the Sleep Challenge
• 460 staff engaged in The Great Holiday Challenge
• 311 staff engaged in the Financial Challenge
• 317 staff engaged in Wellness Week
• 80 staff at cooking classes
• 629 Flu Shots
• 411 staff at Wellness Fair
• 902 staff joined Walktober 

Health Nuts of the Month

Moises Gonzalez, Greeley West

Conor Fitzpatrick, Jefferson Sr.

Charissa Bryce, IT Dept.

Roxana Magana, GAP

Nikki Barrios, McAuliffe

Emily Small, Shawsheen

John Miller, Maplewood

Kristi Small, Meeker

Jorge Gonzalez, D6 Online

Tina Sanders, Transportation

Robin Murray, Admin

Nice Healthcare

Nice Healthcare is an alternative healthcare option offered at no cost to D6 employees who have elected a district medical plan. Nice offers primary care, physical therapy, mental health care, and more. Nice providers will come to the patient’s home or workplace, as needed!

D6 SY24-25 Nice statistics 

• $1,406,716 total cost savings
• 5,774 hours saved
• 3,615 total visits
• 98.2% said their provider made them feel listened to
• 878 unique D6 members used Nice

Employee Interest Survey and Culture Audit

700 employees completed the survey! Check out some highlights of the results below.

Are you aware of Resources for Living program?  Yes (76.5%) No (23.5%)

Is there strong leadership support for engaging in wellness activities? Yes (84.7%) No (15.3%)

Do you feel the Worksite Wellness programs are effectively communicated at your site? Yes (92.5%) No (7.5%)

Do you feel like our district has a strong wellness program in place for all employees? Yes (87%) No (13%)

Contact Information

Nutrition Services

https://www.greeleyschools.org/families/nutrition

Vision: Nutrition Services supports student achievement by offering healthy, great tasting meals, and promoting overall wellness through nutrition education opportunities.

Mission: Nourishing Students, Creating Success

Worksite Wellness

https://www.greeleyschools.org/departments/worksite-wellness

District6-Wellness@greeleyschools.org

Vision: D6 staff will motivate, cultivate and journey with one another in well-being.

Mission: Creating lifelong healthy, engaged and high performing role models for our students and community.

Student Wellness

https://www.greeleyschools.org/departments/student-wellness

District6-Wellness@greeleyschools.org

Vision: A district that fosters a culture of healthy active learners

Mission: To improve the health of students, families, and staff through education, environmental changes, and opportunities to establish life-long positive nutrition, physical activity, and mental health habits.