New Yoga Program For Students And Staff At Ocean City Intermediate School

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Ocean City Intermediate School will launch a student and staff yoga initiative using a $3,850 grant it recently received from Sustainable Jersey, the Ocean City School District announced this week. The school is one of only 30 schools and districts in New Jersey to receive a Sustainable Jersey for Schools Small Grant through the New Jersey Department of Health in this funding cycle.

The “Promoting Mind and Body Health Through Yoga” program will offer one to two after-school yoga lessons per month to students in fourth through eighth grades. The program’s goal is to teach yoga and help students relieve stress, relax and mentally focus, and also provide an appreciation for healthy activity.
Teachers and staff will also be able to use the yoga equipment purchased with the grant money during yoga sessions on in-service days.

“The Ocean City School District is committed to efforts that promote the health and wellness of both its students and staff, so we are thrilled to receive funding to commence a yoga program in the 2017-18 academic year,” Ocean City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Taylor said. “Our goal is to introduce our Intermediate School community to the practice and arm them with a tool to craft a healthy mind and body.”
“This yoga program will complement the many efforts underway within the Ocean City School District to address both the physical and emotional needs of its students,” Ocean City Intermediate School Principal Geoff Haines said. “The district launched a comprehensive plan to support youth mental health and wellness last school year, and a significant component of that plan is to help students adopt positive, healthy behaviors.”

The school will take input from students about what they hope to gain from the sessions and partner with a local yoga instructor to help design and lead the program. Students, especially those in student government, will help the school promote the student yoga sessions, set up the yoga equipment, track attendance and gather participant feedback to help inform any changes made to the program in ensuing years.

The New Jersey Department of Health is funding OCIS’ Health and Wellness Grant through its Maternal and Child Health Services Title V Block Grant. The Department of Health’s southern regional partner, AtlantiCare, will administer the grant.

The school is also awaiting the official announcement of its Sustainable Jersey for Schools Bronze Certification, a program that recognizes schools and school districts for their positive efforts to improve environmental sustainability and overall health and wellness within the school community. Currently, 273 districts and 679 schools have registered to work toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.

“Sustainable schools are healthy schools, and schools that promote health and well-being will see benefits,” Sustainable Jersey Executive Director Randall Solomon said. “These grants, funded by the New Jersey Department of Health, will support schools as they tackle important health and wellness actions.”

Patch file photo