Annual Wellness Report

Meet the Team

Rachel Hurshman MPH, RDN, SNS Wellness Coordinator

Johanna Bishop MS, RDN, SNS Nutrition Education Specialist

Megan Cooney MS, RDN, Wellness Specialist

Mariah Westlie MS, RDN, SNS Menu & Nutrition Specialist

Letter from the Wellness Coordinator

It is my pleasure to share this annual report highlighting the progress, partnerships, and achievements of D6 Wellness, demonstrating our commitment to supporting the health and well-being of our students and staff.

The D6 Wellness Team is fortunate to be a part of the district’s Nutrition Services Department. This year, the Nutrition Services Leadership Team worked to formally define the department’s core values. These include:

• Access
• Connection
• Health & Well-Being
• Integrity

These values guide our decisions and actions each day. I am proud to see these values reflected in the work presented here. 

This year we started wrapping up our Team Nutrition Grant. A highlight includes that 25 schools now have their very own smoothie bike! We worked with a professor at Colorado State University, Dr. Alena Clark, to gather pre and post data to measure impact of the various grant initiatives. The final report showed encouraging and statistically significant data. Speaking of data, this year was the first time in at least a decade that we have had enough students complete the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) to get data that is considered representative of the student population. This data is critical to not only guide our work but to support Weld County Health Department as they determine health priorities for youth. In addition, 100% of our schools completed Smart Source, a school-level survey administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. It assesses the health and wellness policies, practices, and environments of each school. Smart Source data and HKCS data can be paired to get both the student perspective and staff perspective on the status of student wellness.

Nutrition education had another record breaking year featuring 146 total Culinary Classroom lessons. This included the largest single Culinary Classroom lesson ever and a school-wide Culinary Classroom Blitz that connected to every student in the school, ensuring they had access to nutrition education!

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

43% growth in Healthy Classroom Celebrations

7 new smoothie bikes, 25 schools with their own smoothie bike, 2 new attachments for churning ice cream

3 new Healthy Classroom Party Kits created

200% growth in The Walking Classroom program

Snack Drawer

12,690 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.

Non-Food Rewards

We distributed 36,549 non-food rewards to our students in 300 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
• Empathy Quest
• Wellness Nights
• 5210+
• Color Runs
• Field Days

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 26 applications this year and accepted 12 new members, making our total 32 members, representing six D6 high schools!

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

Four SHAC students shared their perspectives on how student voice has supported and guided student wellness in District 6 as part of a student panel at the American School Health Association Annual Conference.

SHAC students participated in three SHAC-Menu Action Teams this year! Students tried proposed school menu items and provided valuable feedback on taste, appearance, and overall appeal of the new items. Student voice is used to improve school meals! 

SHAC students continued working on the mural series they started in 2020 to represent Sources of Strength! Sources of Strength is an upstream suicide prevention program that encourages students to lean on their support networks during hard times. Each mural panel is designed by SHAC students and a local artist to represent one of the eight pillars of strength. Students then work together to paint them!

Goal #2: Nutrition Education

School Gardens

10 active school gardens

$10,370 spent on school gardens

5 new hydroponic Tower Gardens

Local food purchased from 18 producers

$202,570 spent on local produce

$163,984 spent on local beef and bison 

Sports Nutrition

53 Sports Nutrition lessons were given this year to 431 students. This is an 82% increase. This is a 4-part series that teaches foundational nutrition concepts to improve sports performance.

Culinary Classroom

146 total Culinary Classroom lessons = 70% growth

5 new Nutrition Education Assistants hired to help lead lessons

More than 3,000 total students participated

19 different types of lessons offered 

21 different schools participated

Taste Tests

8 taste test events were held this school year. Students across D6 sampled 6 new school menu items, including a Chicken Ranch Wrap recipe that was developed by Northridge HS ProStart students!

Goal#3: Physical Activity

Walk Bike & Roll to School

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

BStrong BFit

85 students at 6 schools participated in the BStrong BFit program this year, a running club designed to inspire confidence and body positivity in young girls!

5210+ Participation

• Pre-K- 96
• K- 1,036
• 1st - 879
• 2nd - 1,008
• 3rd - 979
• 4th - 833
• 5th - 986
• 6th - 74
• 7th - 17
• 8th - 21
• 5,929 total

5210+ Awards

Most Improved: Shawsheen, Scott

Most Submissions: D6 Online, Fred Tjardes, Martinez

$6,400 in awards from Healthy Hearts & Minds

361 students at Shawsheen participated in a special Veggie Pita Pizza Culinary Classroom lesson to celebrate 5210+!

Smart Source Survey

100% of District 6 schools completed the Smart Source survey this school year! Smart Source is an inventory of best practices in school health and wellness. Check out a few district results...

100% of D6 schools modify physical education activities to promote the participation of all students

100% of D6 physical education programs use instructional strategies that support the needs of the diversity of the student population

Smart Source asks: Has your school implemented the district's written policy that prohibits the use of physical activity as punishment for student misbehavior? 91.1% of schools in D6 have vs. 78.7% state average.

Goal #4: Staff Wellness

Worksite Wellness Programming

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

• 866 staff engaged in The Great Holiday Challenge
• 154 staff engaged in the Financial Challenge
• 152 staff engaged in Wellness Week
• 85 staff at 4 cooking classes
• 124 staff in 4 art classes
• 665 Flu Shots
• 311 staff at Wellness Fair
• 44 booths hosted at the Worksite Wellness Fair
• 1,185 staff joined Walktober! Nine Northern Colorado school districts competed during October, walking a total of 1.44 billion steps!
• 705 staff completed onsite biometric screening this year, the most ever in D6 thanks for a new Banner partnership!
• 500+ coworker appreciation cards and 200+ military appreciation cards sent

Health Nuts of the Month

Dr. Peggy Franklin, Heath

Christine Alcazar, Dos Rios

Milka Reich, Meeker

Julie Hagemeister, West

Diane Elkins, Transportation

Hannah Gallagher, Centennial

Hayley Daniel, Heath

Sherri Morin, Franklin

Arely Islas, D6 Online

Alex Smith, Heath

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 SY25-26 Nice statistics 

• $2,538,481 total cost savings
• 9,409 hours saved
• 5,693 total visits
• 1,328 unique D6 members used Nice
• 695 new D6 members enrolled

AcuWellness

AcuWellness is a type of acupuncture treatment that involves placing small needles into specific points on the outer ear to calm the nervous system and reduce stress. This year in District 6...

Nearly 200 staff members received an AcuWellness treatment

3 staff members were trained to provide AcuWellness treatments

80% of participants reported reduced stress

99% of participants wanted to have another treatment in the future

Wellness Incentives

Every employee had the opportunity to earn over $500 in reward cards and one of 142 additional prizes this year, funded by Aetna!

Chair Massages

294 relaxing onsite chair massages were provided to District 6 staff

Special Spotlights

Culinary Classroom Blitz

The first-ever D6 Culinary Classroom Blitz was held over the first two weeks of May at Shawsheen Elementary! During this event, 441 students across all 21 classes at Shawsheen participated in a Culinary Classroom lesson. Students learned about colorful fruits and veggies, and practiced knife skills by preparing their own strawberry-banana yogurt parfaits! Johanna Bishop, D6 Nutrition Education Specialist, and Emily Small, Shawsheen music teacher and Student Wellness Team Leader, worked together to organize this incredible event, with a total of 25 Nutrition Services staff helping to make it a success!

D6 Nutrition Awareness Study

Over the past 3 years, a USDA Team Nutrition Grant has supported expanding nutrition education initiatives in D6. We worked with a professor at Colorado State University, Dr. Alena Clark, to gather pre- and post- data to measure the impact of the various grant initiatives. The results are promising, with the study showing significant increases in vegetable consumption among 3 -5 grade students and in the awareness of school-based nutrition education and healthy food options among 6 -12 grade students!

Danielle Bock Named Silver Plate Award Recipient

Danielle Bock, D6 Director of Nutrition Services, was named the 2026 Silver Plate Award winner in the Elementary & Secondary Schools category by the IFMA, The Food Away from Home Association! This prestigious award recognizes individuals whose careers serve as models of excellence in the foodservice industry. Danielle is an exceptional leader, and we are inspired by her dedication to improving the school meal experience for all students so that they can best succeed. Congratulations!!

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.