Kannapolis City Schools has earned a national award for its employee wellness program.
The district was recently recognized as a bronze School Employee Wellness Program winner by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE), a membership association of public health professionals from all over the U.S.
As a bronze winner, Kannapolis City Schools will receive a $250 grant from DHPE to be used for its school employee wellnessprogram and be featured on the DHPE website, www.dhpe.org.
Kannapolis City Schools began working on a school employee wellness program in 2011. It established a health vision statement that reads, “Kannapolis City Schools is committed to promoting the importance of health awareness, wellness, and physical fitness to all employees. By providing resources and supporting employee wellness, we will also be modeling and guiding healthy behaviors for our students.”
The district offers free Zumba classes to employees, staff fitness challenges, ongoing health communications and partnerships with the local YMCA, Cabarrus Health Alliance, UNC Nutrition Research Institut and Next Level Personal Training Studio. Kannapolis City Schools also has established a School Health Advisory Council.
School employee health is one area that DHPE focuses its work on with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2009, DHPE launched an awards program to recognize schools that have implemented school employee wellness programs that promote employee health, improve workforce productivity and reduce the costs of employee absenteeism and health care.
A total of 56 schools and districts from around the country submitted applications for DHPE’s 2012-13 School Employee Wellness Awards program. Only nine school systems are being recognized this year.