The Wellness Committee at Honeoye CSD has two new co-coordinators. Jennifer Green, district clerk for the superintendent of schools at Honeoye CSD served as wellness coordinator then took a three-year break. Last September, Green reprised her role and asked Deb Vanderbroek, a teaching assistant, to share the position as a wellness co-coordinator.

New parents want something for their child. Fun toys. A new stroller, maybe. A safe environment. Opportunities. All Sandi Quinlan, a sixth-grade math teacher at Wayland-Cohocton Central School District, wanted for her daughter, Taylor Kirin, was a non-mutated version of the type VII collagen gene.

When fostering the best environment for our children’s futures, a school district has to not only look at what goes on within its walls, but outside of them as well. If families within the community are struggling to make ends meet, then those children will be at a serious detriment. Thanks to a huge philanthropic initiative from Lyons Central School District, the Community Collaboration is doing everything in its power to support those families in need.

Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) is dedicated to providing wellness opportunities to people across 25 different school districts in the area. With a variety of programs serving all ages, BOCES has to cover an extremely wide range of needs and interests. Despite the array of specialized activities, BOCES wanted to provide something relaxing, inexpensive and available to anyone. With that in mind, the wellness meetups around Finger Lakes are the perfect opportunity to enjoy a leisurely stroll with family and friends.

Being mindful about gratitude, affirming there is goodness in the world and acknowledging that it comes from others, can make you feel better, happier and more satisfied. In the fall of 2019, four Finger Lake Area School Health Plan districts initiated activities to help staff recognize their gratitude and find better health and appreciation in their everyday lives. Wayne “Gratitude is a buzzword,” says Monica Bays, wellness coordinator and middle school music teacher at Wayne. “It’s nice to sit down and reflect upon the things you do have instead of focusing on the negative.” To kick off a month dedicated to acknowledging thankfulness, Bays emailed a gratitude challenge in her Health and Wellness newsletter. The challenge provided a gratitude list worksheet where staff members would write down what they were thankful for in their lives. The list included: three things I would not change; one positive thing about my health; four relationships I’m thankful for; four blessings; one thing that makes me smile every day. For the challenge, staff members filled out their gratitude list for the Wellness Committee. As an incentive, the first 30 participants who completed the sheet and returned it received a $10 gift card to Amazon. Bays received 45 completed gratitude lists. “I’ve never had so much participation,” says Bays. “I enjoyed reading the responses and was surprised to see how much of our work culture was reflected in the answers. A lot of people wrote about the students. They also talked about family, relationships, and colleagues.” Clyde-Savannah When Kristen Seyfried, wellness coordinator and a health teacher at the middle and high school, found a thank you made with a pack of Extra gum on Pinterest she knew it was perfect for Clyde-Savannah staff members. The Wellness Committee gave everyone a pack of Extra gum with an attached note — seasonally decorated as a turkey — that read, “I’m EXTRA thankful for you.” “It was a small way to say you’re appreciated. You’re seen,” says Seyfried. “It’s showing people and helping people feel part of the school community. Jobs can sometimes feel thankless. I hoped these notes provided a small boost, especially if they were having a bad day.” A gratitude list worksheet underscored the Extra message and kept thankfulness on the forefront of everyone’s mind. The list was identical to the one Wayne staff members received. “It’s important to go beyond thinking about what you’re grateful for in your life,” says Seyfried. “Writing it down makes it concrete and in front of you. Keeping you focused on the good keeps you grounded and honest with what you have.” The theme of gratitude and appreciation did not end with Thanksgiving. In December, the Wellness Committee arranged for a massage therapist to give staff members 15-minute chair massages to thank everyone for their efforts and contributions to the district. Keshequa At Keshequa, Todd Isaman, wellness coordinator and physical education teacher, emphasized the idea of mindfulness with gratitude. “It’s about identifying what’s going on in your life and how you react to it,” says Isaman. “When you’re thankful you feel better inside and you can express that in small actions.” Mindfulness and gratitude came together in November for a 10-day challenge Isaman arranged called Planks and Expothanks. Staff members were given 10 different ways to do a plank and were challenged to complete one each day. Doing so acknowledged their physical health going into a traditionally indulgent season. The Expothanks portion of the challenge came from Isaman, whose daughter surprised him with a message written on his bathroom mirror with a dry-erase Expo marker. The challenge asked staff members to do something similar for their friends and family members. “The idea is for you to sneak in and write something nice,” says Isaman. “We did not track this or offer any incentives. We wanted people to show gratitude with no expectations of getting anything back.” Larene Long, teacher assistant at Keshequa Intermediate School, didn’t need a challenge to do something nice without expecting reciprocation. For November, she surprised the faculty with a “Fill Your Bucket” board. Colleagues wrote short, anonymous notes stating what they appreciated about that person and left it in that person’s “bucket,” which was a cup stapled to the wall. “Larene totally did this on her own,” says Isaman. “It’s another example of how people at Keshequa understand that gratitude is important.” Red Jacket Each month, wellness coordinators in Red Jacket receive a “Happiness Calendar” from the Greater Good Science Center. Wellness Coordinator and health and family consumer science teacher Tracey Snieszko decided to change it up a little. Combining the Happiness Calendar with other calendar ideas she found online, she created a Gratitude Calendar challenge. The Gratitude Calendar offered various stress reduction and mindfulness activities and ran from Nov. 12 through Dec. 13. Activity examples included sitting in silence for five minutes, drinking water, tidying up your workspace, finding a new place to visit, and doing something nice for someone. Participants checked off each day they completed the activity and then turned in their calendars to the Wellness Committee. If the calendar was 75 % complete, they earned a $10 Wegmans gift card. “Hopefully, they also earned less stress in their lives,” says Snieszko. For Snieszko doing nice things for others, being mindful, and taking care of your physical and mental health all support the idea of gratitude. “You can be thankful for what you have and for others,” says Snieszko. “Be thankful for your body. Giving it what it needs is a way of telling it, ‘thank you and please continue to work for me.’” Snieszko’s personal favorite was to sit peacefully for five minutes without technology or music. It gave her the opportunity to connect to her gratitude. Regarding the challenge, she says participation was good and the committee definitely wants to do something similar next year.

Whether you’re hitting the online slot machines in Las Vegas, racing in an old-school video games like “Mario Kart,” or having an augmented experience on your cellphone via “Pokemon Go,” internet gaming is just about everywhere these days.

Teaching is not an easy job, and like any profession has its own unique stressors. Instructing special needs students is a departure from teaching in a traditional classroom environment, with

Tracking heart rate and steps has been a major component of fitness trends throughout the years, especially in today’s world of Fitbits, smart watches, and step counters automatically programmed onto our phones. However, this trend has appeared to lie mostly with the adult crowd.

Whether you’re hitting the slot machines in Las Vegas, racing in an old-school video game like “Mario Kart,” or having an augmented experience on your cellphone via “Pokemon Go,” internet gaming is just about everywhere these days.

Whether it’s by car, train or plane, it can sometimes be tough to get a good night’s sleep when traveling. You’re away from the comfort of your own bed, and you could be traveling with people who cry, sneeze, talk loudly or watch a movie without headphones. But you can still sleep well while traveling. Learn how traveling across time zones impacts your sleep, what causes jet lag, and how you can feel rested the next time you travel across the country.

One of the most commonly searched questions about breastfeeding is, “What medicines can you take?” Since everything you consume makes its way into your baby’s milk supply, it’s a valid concern. Sure, we know to pump and dump after a couple glasses of wine, but what about medications?

Joseph Strickland, a medical courier with Indiana Regional Medical Center, became concerned about a painful blister between his toes that was causing him some significant pain. As a courier, Strickland walks many miles per day, and the pain from the blister was hindering his work.

Each year, hundreds of thousands suffer from cardiac arrest in the U.S. Anytime, anywhere, an emergency can strike, leaving many with little chance for life-saving personnel to make a difference. These numbers would be decreased dramatically if more people were CPR certified. Currently at Seneca Valley School District, students and staff are training to be ready for any dire situation thrown their way.

For the past 24 years, Arthur Dilg did some pretty fun things, including taking his wife, Marilyn, on multiple trips to Germany to visit family. The semi-retired Christ Episcopal Church clergyman also had a chance to be a part of some blessed events, including baptizing the majority of his nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren as well as countless others outside the family. He performed numerous weddings, and he and Marilyn were able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary six years ago.

The Vietnam War ended in 1975. One decade later, Wes Wertz was born. Spoken word is how the vast majority of people on our planet express their wants and needs.

Even small amounts of physical exercise deliver a bounty of benefits to your physical and mental health. Knowing this, many people have turned to yoga to tone up their bodies and minds.

Preventing the spread of infectious disease and bacteria is a critical mission for any hospital. At Indiana Regional Medical Center, that task is helmed by Lana Mason.

Commonly known as ALS, the condition is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and it is always fatal. The affected motor neurons deteriorate and the brain and spinal cord lose their ability to send signals to muscles, which begin to atrophy. As muscles lose nourishment, those affected lose their ability to speak, move, eat and breathe. The average life expectancy of those afflicted with ALS is two to five years, and there is no cure.

High school science teacher Lisa Adams has struggled with weight for most of her life, but may have finally turned a corner

Dozens of children have shiny new wheels this summer thanks to volunteers in Southern Pennsylvania

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a boundary is defined as “a line that marks the limits of an area.” In more straightforward terms, it’s the line you clearly draw so that others know not to cross it. Boundaries are essential to healthy relationships, whether that’s among friends, within the workplace or in a romantic partnership.

What do Sigmund Freud, Prince, Janis Joplin and Pennsylvania-bred rapper Mac Miller all have in common? They all died from an opioid overdose.

Organ donation is probably the furthest thing from your mind … unless you’re on a wait list for an organ replacement. Then it becomes literally a matter of life and death.

You feel healthy. You have good energy levels, feel happy and are engaged in life’s activities. Don’t get lulled into complacency! Taking time to get your preventative screenings when you are healthy and symptom-free is the best way to safeguard your vitality.

When you go to the dentist, the doctor isn’t just assessing your teeth. The health of your mouth can be an indicator of larger, more serious issues. In fact, studies have proven a link exists between oral health and cardiovascular disease and increased risk of stroke.

Jonathan “Jon” Levitt spent the last years of his promising young life battling the grips of a merciless addiction to opioids. Jon was an attractive and athletic young man. He excelled in sports, particularly hockey, was academically successful throughout his high school years, with a particular fondness for history, and was a gifted artist. By all accounts, Jon was the son most people dream of raising.