DELTONA ADVENTIST SCHOOL HOSTS HEALTH FAIR
by Michelle Velbis
“It was exciting to have this opportunity,” said Deltona Adventist School fifth-grader Samantha Medina, referring to the Kids Care Health Fair hosted March 15 by third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders. “Usually adults would do something like this. It made me feel like I can do even more things than I thought I was capable of.”
In the classroom, I teach my students that, although they are young, they can make a big difference in the world. Since we were learning about health, hosting this event was the perfect time to join these two concepts and make them applicable.
The students were involved every step of the way, from brainstorming the name for the event, to writing phone scripts, making phone calls for donations, making and mailing the flyers, researching and constructing their health exhibits, set up and take down, and writing thank-you letters.
“I learned teamwork,” said fifth-grader Collin Velbis, “by participating in a group, sharing ideas, and working together to accomplish our project and help teach people about health.”
In our technology-driven society, personal communication skills are becoming obsolete. “Kids, these days don’t usually want to communicate person to person, especially with adults,” said fifth-grader Joshua Sierra. “We learned how to communicate with adults during this project.”
There were door prizes, healthy food samples and recipes, a Florida Hospital Fish Memorial representative with handouts and goodie bags, a nurse practitioner conducting blood pressure screenings, and exhibits with hands-on activities and research by the students.
“It felt really good to do this health fair,” said fourth-grader Satrese Franklin. “A lot of kids don’t get an opportunity like this, and I am thankful.”
“All the activities were geared toward creating a learning environment for the students,” said Principal Manny Barajas. “They planned the activities and provided opportunities that promoted a healthy mind, body, and lifestyle.”
“The students took their jobs very seriously,” commented attendee Gizelle Best. “They stayed by their stations the entire time to educate guests about their projects. I was most impressed by the enthusiasm they showed during the entire event.”
The parents also appreciated watching their children’s excitement about learning. “The Kids Care Health Fair demonstrated our children’s understanding and concern for health-related issues,” said Lizette Sierra, mother to Joshua. “It showed the students that they are never too young to be involved.”
As an added benefit of the fair, the students are now more aware of their health decisions such as diet and exercise. “If you stay healthy, by making good food and exercise choices, your body will reward you,” said fourth-grader José LeGrand.
As a teacher, my best reward from this experience was hearing the students say, “I love science now!”