A new movement to improve the health of school students in Houston is gaining momentum, thanks to the work of hundreds of dedicated volunteers from the Houston community and around the country. Launched earlier this year, the Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools initiative focuses on improving nutrition and physical activity opportunities for every student at every school across the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the seventh largest in the nation.

The strategy is innovative – engage the “whole system” of stakeholders in visioning, planning and executing wellness changes – and it appears to be working. Since the beginning of the year, HISD leaders, students, parents, business and community leaders and government officials have been collaboratively designing a wide range of health and wellness prototype projects. They are now finalizing plans to implement projects at HISD beginning this fall.

It all began in February 2009 with the Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools Summit: Leveraging the Power of Our Community. Hundreds of participants– adults and students from across Houston and the country – came together to build a bold new vision and plan that elevates school wellness to a higher priority within the schools and community. They used an approach known as Appreciative Inquiry, which seeks to “build upon” what is working rather than focusing on problems and what is not working. This is the first time this approach has been used to improve wellness in a major U.S. school district.” 

Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools efforts are already paying off. The number of individuals and organizations now working to support wellness improvements at HISD is unprecedented. Visibility and discussion about wellness-related issues among school leadership are at an all-time high. The students are being heard like never before in wellness planning. And yet much more change is needed and is coming. With the upcoming prototype projects, there is exciting potential for healthy changes that will impact all of HISD’s students and staff, and hopefully lead to a healthier generation of Houstonians.