The AACPS Wellness Council is excited to announce that Jones Elementary School, Marley Elementary School, Ridgeway Elementary School, Old Mill Middle School North, Severn River Middle School, Southern Middle School, Severna Park High School, and Southern High School are the 2024 winners of the AACPS Wellness School of Distinction award.
The award recognizes schools that demonstrate a high priority for the health and well-being of students, staff, and school supporters by going beyond the curriculum to produce positive outcomes for the entire school community.
In order to win the prestigious honor, schools must show that its culture encompasses wellness as reflected in the ten components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. WSCC is a coordinated and collaborative school health approach outlined by the Centers for Disease Control. The components of the WSCC are: health education; physical activity; health services; nutrition environment & services; counseling, psychological, & social services; social & emotional climate; physical environment; employee wellness; family engagement; and community involvement. In support of all schools, the AACPS Wellness Council created a Wellness Toolkit, which provides a plethora of information for schools on how to successfully implement all of the components.
From mindfulness in nature activities to staff-focused self-care initiatives to energy conservation projects, each winning school’s approach to creating a culture of wellness is unique, but with one common factor: collaboration and motivation to be a well community.
This year, schools that won the award in 2021 or prior were eligible to apply to maintain their statuses. Jones Elementary School and Southern High School earned their third designations while all of the other schools achieved the distinction for the first time. As an extension of the Board of Education policy on wellness and the AACPS Wellness Council, the award is given annually.
The application window for the 2025 award will open in the spring. Schools that won the award in 2022 will be eligible to apply to maintain their designations.
Parents and community members are highly encouraged to be involved in the application process. While a copy of the application can be reviewed on the Wellness Schools web page, final submissions must be made online by a school employee with approval by the principal. Only online applications submitted via the school system intranet will be accepted. General information about the Wellness Schools of Distinction program can be found at www.aacps.org/wellnessschools.