OLHMS Traveling Health Fair visits Covington Elementary

On January 28th, ninety-two 8th grade students left Oak Lawn Hometown Middle School to visit and teach 2nd & 3rd grade students at Covington Elementary School. The reason behind almost one-third of the 8th grade population leaving is because they are enrolled in Health class.

Students spend 18 class periods preparing for this exciting & educational trip. Students are partnered up and choose their topic from a list of 50 varied ideas. Each day, the partners prepare their presentation while learning more about the topic. Some topics include personal hygiene, why water is good for you, staying active, why you need to get 9-11 hours of sleep, seat-belt safety, bike safety, foods with too much sugar, drinks with too much caffeine, and many more.

This Health Fair covered all health-related subjects and are aligned with the National Health Standards. The goal was to encourage younger students to practice healthy habits and safety.

The biggest challenge in making preparations for the event is finding a way to create an interactive booth. The booth includes facts, visual aids and even games to help promote understanding. OLHMS’ Health teacher, Kathleen Harrington stated, “Our goal is to teach the kids as many healthy lessons as possible, while having fun.” 


This 8th grade project contained many lifelong lessons; one being the need to collaboratively and efficiently work with others, another being time management. Using presentation skills, the students plan and present their information in a clear and effective way. While teaching others, this project helped many students find their confidence with public speaking. The Health Fair is and will always be beneficial to both elementary students and our middle school students in District 123.

Enjoy this short video!

Contributed By: Social Media Club Member, Isabelle Gonzalez