The School District of Palm Beach County, in partnership with BrightLife, OneHealth, UnitedHealthcare, and Wells Fargo Insurance, took the expression, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” to a whole new level. The 4-week Apple a Day program ran from October 2-29, 2014. After overwhelming requests to incorporate Halloween into the fun, October 30th and 31st were added as bonus days.
The District hosted the Apple a Day program for the second year in a row as an incentive for District employees to lead healthier lifestyles - proving once again the District’s dedication to health and wellness. District participants, including teachers, staff, and administration were challenged to eat up to two apples per day, take a picture with the apple, and submit those daily photos to earn points. With participants organized into teams based on their school or department, the competition was fun, healthy, and spirited!
In addition to eating up to two apples a day, the 2013 challenge featured bonus challenges designed to promote overall wellbeing and healthy lifestyles. These included:
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Unplug. Turn off the phone, TV or computer and spend an evening after work without technology.
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Eat Breakfast. Be intentional about making time to eat a nutritious breakfast.
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Check your blood pressure. Part of staying well includes knowing your health measurements.
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Avoid candy. Pass out apples on Halloween during Apple a Day Bonus Days.
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- default_titleOver 3,500 people participated which was a 57% increase from the 2012-2013 school year.
- default_titleOver 220 locations were involved which was double the amount from the previous year.
- default_titleOver 6,750 photos were submitted.
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The competition was close but two teams edged ahead. The winning team was Palm Beach Central High School (Scott Houchins-Wellness Champion) and the Top Participant was Jacques Nicholas (Wellness Champion) hailing from the runner up, Intensive Transition South. Winner of the Wellness Champions for Participation was Kristy Rodgers from Equestrian Trails Elementary School. The event also featured interactive voting for top picture submission. Over 270,000 votes were recorded. The winning picture, submitted by Gail Marshall of Palm Beach Central High School, received over 100,000 votes.
Apple a Day 2013 from Onehealth on Vimeo.
This was an easy and fun program that offered competition and motivation to practice healthy eating. It was great to see all the healthy, happy, smiling faces enjoying fruits and veggies. What was most impressive was how it impacted the total school environment and integrated into the culture and curriculum. Wellness Champions did an excellent job creating and promoting Apple a Day events, which cultivated new and inspiring ways to participate in the District’s Employee Wellness Program. As a school district, Palm Beach County is ahead of the curve in striving for employee wellness and doing so in engaging, fun ways.
To learn more about the District’s Apple a Day Program visit http://www.PBApples.org.