Wellness - Building Healthy Lifestyles
The Martin County School District offers an Employee Wellness Program to improve the health and well-being of employees and their dependents. We are committed to providing our employees with information, educational activities, and preventive screenings needed to improve their health and incorporate healthier lifestyle options into daily routines.
What is wellness?
Wellness is a holistic and active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy, fulfilling life and achieving one’s full potential. There are eight dimensions of wellness: occupational, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, social and intellectual. Each is interrelated with another and is equally important in the pursuit of health.
The Eight Dimensions of Wellness
Want to be a Wellness Ambassador?
Wellness Ambassadors are MCSD employees who promote District-sponsored wellness programs. To be an effective wellness ambassador, you need to lead by example, regardless of where you are in your personal wellness journey.
Wellness Ambassadors market, publicize and recruit MCSD staff to participate in health and wellbeing activities and events by:
Forwarding and posting all biweekly Wellness Wednesday newsletters (must have access to District email); reserving a “wellness message” in staff meetings to convey information on health topics and upcoming wellness events and programs.
Creating, hosting and planning unique wellness initiatives for their school site or department staff; a minimum of two per school year (Fall and Spring).
Participating in Building Healthy Lifestyles Wellness Program events.
Identifying potential ideas, strategies and programs for enhancing wellbeing and a healthy environment.
Serving as a Wellness Ambassador will require 30 minutes to two hours of time per month, depending upon special events occurring through the Building Healthy Lifestyle program or at each school location/department. All Wellness Ambassador roles are voluntary and should be worked on using discretion related to required job responsibilities and departmental priorities. Contact Abby Caviston for more information.
Star Wellness Ambassador
Congratulations, Liza Hough! She is this quarter’s winner of the STAR WELLNESS AMBASSADOR Award.
Ms. Hough has shown tremendous effort in sharing her wellness message with Pinewood Elementary and Willoughby Learning Center. As the Building Healthy Lifestyles staff, we are so impressed and proud of her continued efforts to excel in multiple dimensions of wellness. One of Liza’s strengths as a Wellness Ambassador is her level of communication with PWE and WLC team members, as well as with the ‘Building Healthy Lifestyles’ team. As a first time Wellness Ambassador she is doing a wonderful job with getting her team members motivated and excited about their onsite wellness initiatives. Way to go, Liza… keep up the great work!
Healthy Hero Award
The Healthy Hero award is open to all employees who make healthy choices in pursuit of their wellness goals in any of the eight dimensions of wellness. Each school/department’s Wellness Ambassador(s) will have the ability to nominate an individual for the Healthy Hero award to the Building Healthy Lifestyles staff. Nominations will include the employee’s name, location, achievements, photo (optional) and the nominated employee must give approval for the nomination prior. Each month’s winner will receive recognition in a MCSD Wellness Wednesday update and the MCSD Wellness Program’s page of the website. They will also receive a gift that represents one of the eight dimensions of wellness and Certificate of Achievement to display their impressive accomplishment. For questions regarding this program, please reach out to your school/department’s Wellness Ambassador(s).
January 2025
Congratulations to Stephanie Halle, as she is the January WINNER of the Healthy Hero Award! Ms. Halle was nominated by Wellness Ambassador Lexi Gray. Check out the nomination write-up submitted by Lexi:
“I would like to nominate Stephanie Halle for the Healthy Hero Award. Stephanie is an avid marathon runner, CrossFit participant, and a champion of healthy eating. Her dedication to fitness and wellness extends beyond her personal routine, as she also gives back to the community through various charity organizations.
Additionally, Stephanie plays an active role in the Wildcat Wellness Club after school, where she encourages PCE students to adopt healthier lifestyles. Her passion for fitness, nutrition, and community involvement makes her our PCE Healthy Hero.”
December 2024
Congratulations to Tisha Freedman, as she is the December winner of the Healthy Hero Award! Ms. Freedman was nominated by Wellness Ambassador Carol Columbus. Check out the nomination write-up submitted by Carol:
“Tisha Freedman who is our Dual Enrollment Coach for Innovation & Choice, is very health conscious. She plans her meals and packs lunches just about every day. Instead of telling you what she made for lunch, you will smell what she packed for that day throughout the office, making you hungry and asking what she made. Along with eating healthily, she gets up and does her daily walks encouraging you to do the same. This is important for us who are in an office setting where we frequently forget to get up and move occasionally throughout the day. Ms. Freedman is a true inspiration for her healthy lunch choices and is excited to share her ideas on eating the right foods and staying active while in the office. Her words of encouragement are “A body in motion stays in motion”. Ms. Freedman is a true inspiration to her team and everyone she meets while always smiling and ready to assist.”
November 2024
Congratulations to Pam Kimberlin, as she is the November winner of the Healthy Hero Award! Ms. Kimberlin was nominated by Wellness Ambassador Pam Ambrose. Check out the nomination write-up submitted by Pam A…
“Pam makes her smoothies for breakfast and lunch daily that are chocked full of healthy ingredients like homemade coconut milk, chia seeds, blueberries, and other things good for your body. She does all of the wellness initiatives and walks nearly every evening after work for exercise. She is very close to her family, always making time for them which is good for your Social Wellness. She is a pleasure to work with and is always willing to help anyone who needs it. She loves learning new things and takes classes to improve her job which is a part of the Intellectual Dimension. Pam uses all of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness daily.”
October 2024
Congratulations to Joe Shewmaker at SFHS, as he is the October Health Hero!
“(Joe) has been an inspiration for many of us who have started our exercise journey.
He fractured his leg in 2018 and was told by the doctor that he was more concerned that I was 40 pounds overweight and had high blood pressure.
The weekend after that he was at Disney and saw people running the Disney half marathon and was inspired. When he told our coworker that he was intrigued about doing a marathon she told him there was no way his fat butt could ever run a marathon J So he gladly said "Challenge accepted" One year later he completed his first marathon. Since then he has run multiple marathons including one north of the Arctic Circle in Norway (photo on left). He is an inspiration for those just starting their exercise journey.” -Stephanie Jacobs, Wellness Ambassador
Have questions? We want to hear from you!
For additional information regarding the Martin County School District's Building Healthy Lifestyles Wellness Program, please reach out to Abby Caviston by phone at 772.219.1200 x 30386 or by email at cavista@martinschools.org