Congratulations on Skyline's first HeartSafe Certification!
Job Well Done!
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Sunday, September 18, 2016
The 5 Second Rule - is No More!
The 5 Second Rule
I am one of the guilty ones. In my younger adult life, I
once dropped an M&M on the floor of a public building and scooped it up and
popped it into my mouth all in one fell swoop. My co-workers were aghast.
Today, it’s different. I throw out my socks at the end of the
airport security line, and I burn any personal items that may have made their
way into anyone’s hospital room – pillows, slippers, even toothbrushes.
Actually, I don’t bring anything home from a hospital anymore. I just leave it
there. Call me a germ-a-phobe. When my son returned from China in 2014, I even
threw out his shoes before he got out of my car.
However, a recent study released by researchers at Rutgers
University now calls the 5-Second Rule a myth, and probably supports my
paranoia – the rule that says if something is dropped on the floor and picked
up immediately, there is little to no threat of contamination. This is one of those notions that developed
over time out of practicality. But in today’s environment, it’s just no longer
wise.
The article
states: After putting the five-second rule to the test, researchers at Rutgers
University in New Brunswick, N.J., found contamination with bacteria can occur
in less than one second. "The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification
of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food,"
said study lead researcher Donald Schaffner, a professor and extension
specialist in food science. "Bacteria can contaminate
instantaneously."
So, I sent a son off to college this fall with hand
sanitizer, vitamins, and extra pillow cases. I reminded him how important hand
washing is in preventing illness. I even suggested he spray down the dormitory
mattress with anti-bacterial cleaning products prior to making his bed. Think
I’m crazy? Maybe I am.
But I do know this … there are a few simple things we can do
to promote wellness and protect our own health. And now we know that the 5
Second Rule no longer applies. When you drop it, leave it, or sweep it up and
throw it away.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Getting Ready for Another Great Year of SkyWell Wellness
We are off to a great start this year. SkyWell champions
have developed a calendar of events that will meet the needs and priorities of
many students and staff. SkyWell Club leaders have also agreed to meet every
Monday after school, beginning September 12, to make participation easier and
attract more interest. We hope to see you then!
In a great conversation with SJMHS/Ann Arbor, we discussed some
exciting possibilities to engage other high schools in wellness, bring medical experts
and administrative leaders to participate with our students in the wellness
dialog, and tap their vast clinical resources at our Wellness Expo and Career
Fair. We look forward to working together.
This year, please join us at these special events:
- Monthly SkyWell Club activities to promote stress management, increase health awareness on a variety of topics, reduce stigmas and stereotypes, and have fun;
- January 2017 – Our 3rd annual SkyWell Wellness Expo will also feature a health and medical career fair and our annual survey assessment of wellness needs and interests;
- February 2017 – a Million Step Challenge, offering a grand prize to the school whose team achieves one million steps first;
- May 2017 – Our 2nd annual Walk for Wellness Fundraiser for a charity to be determined.
Welcome Back Students. Have a great year!
Live Well | Think Well | SkyWell
Friday, August 26, 2016
Parks and Wellness
In my work as a wellness consultant, it’s always wonderful
to watch how others define wellness for themselves and for those they care
about. Important work is going on in our communities related to many dimensions
of wellness including investments in trails, parks and recreation infrastructure,
and timely wellness policies like bicycle lanes or the new Tobacco 21
initiative in Ann Arbor.
As we celebrate 100 years of the National Park Service, it
seems obvious that recreation and the beauty of our national parks also contribute
to wellness in a significant way. Parks
are places where people go to connect with others or reflect alone; places that
promote activity, clean air and clean water; places where our history as a nation
is honored.
I met with the 2016 SkyWell
senior leaders this week. They demonstrated their creative energy about how
to define wellness for this next school year and I am certain that their ideas
will make an impact. As they discussed their priorities, I noticed they touched
on much more than just physical wellness topics like nutrition and
fitness. Although those behaviors are
key indicators for health issues like obesity, heart disease, cancer and
diabetes, their discussion also focused on the environment, stress and anxiety,
and reducing stigmas and stereotypes at school.
Progress toward optimal health is gained from any and all
efforts that help us to expand beyond our everyday habits to reach new goals. We
all benefit from our nation’s commitment to the US Park Service. We are also
beneficiaries of a wellness culture that supports healthy living. Visiting a
National Park is one way to achieve the inspiration we all need.
Happy 100th
Birthday to our National Park Service!
Live Well | Think Well | SkyWell
Monday, July 25, 2016
SkyWell 2015-2016 Annual Report
If you would like to read the SkyWell Annual Report for the 2015-2016 school year, please click on the link below.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
The Benefits of Staying Active!
Join Us!
SkyWell Walk for Wellness
May 20 at Skyline
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Regular physical activity is good for everyone’s health, and people of all abilities and body types can be physically active. National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is a great time to raise awareness about the benefits of physical activity.
For more information about the SkyWell Walk for Wellness
go to
tinyurl.com/SkywellWalk
Hope to see you there!
Live Well | Think Well | SkyWell
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