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Success Stories

Youth Corps Members Educate Elementary Schools

Recently, 11 INSight Youth Corps members from Logansport High School visited three Logansport Community School Corporation elementary schools and acted as peer health educators.  The Logansport High School students engaged the elementary schools’ fifth grade classes in a discussion on the health hazards of tobacco use. The INSight Youth Corps members planned, prepared, and implemented the one-hour programs to meet the Category A – Peer Health Education project requirements.

The INSight Youth Corps students used object lessons, puppets, and active participation to educate the fifth grade students at Franklin and Columbia elementary schools about the harmful effects of tobacco use and encouraged the students to follow their example in being tobacco free. On Wednesday, April 4, they brought the same program and message to Landis Elementary.

The INSight Youth Corps at Logansport High School are currently in the planning stages for their Category B – Creative Health Project. They are planning a “Health Walk” at Logansport Memorial Hospital’s River Bluff Trail, at which they will distribute pamphlets and literature to help educate the community on the positive health messages of nutrition, physical activity, and avoiding tobacco use.

Terre Haute North Vigo High School Youth Corps Members Conduct Survey

Youth Corps members research portion size for their survey.

As a member of INSight Youth Corps, Kelsie Ackerman, a senior at Terre Haute North Vigo High School has had the pleasure of spreading the message of Governor Mitch Daniels’ new program, INShape Indiana.

The Youth Corps group consists of 10 members who all contribute in a different capacity. The group members include; Kelsie Ackman, Zack Cantin, Philip Childs, Mary Conley, Derek Doti, Katie Fitzgerald, Courtney Goss, Alex Groysman, Darion Haggerty, and Tyler Rogerson.

The ambitious Youth Corps team developed a survey that was distributed to all the students in their school.  The students collaborated with their school cafeteria supervisor and created a survey that included nutrition questions regarding their school lunches. The survey brought awareness to students regarding healthier choices during their school day.

The Youth Corps members will hold another homeroom to distribute the survey results and to show an informational PowerPoint designed by the rest of the group. The PowerPoint details portion size and how sizes have changed throughout the years.  They also purchased pencils to distribute to all the individual students that completed in the survey.  Bookmarks that were designed by the INSight group members and published by the Graphic Arts Department at Terre Haute North Vigo High School will also be given to students. The pencils and bookmarks contain healthy snack food ideas as well as exercising tips.

Through this experience, the members of INSight Youth Corps feel as though they have made a difference in some of the students’ eating and nutrition choices.

Senior student, Ryan Hartleroad, says, “Students assume that school lunches are healthy, since they come from school. They don’t realize that the portion sizes of the lunches are adding extra calories.

INSight Youth Corps members at Terre Haute North Vigo High School have helped raise awareness of the nutritional value of school lunches, and will help educate students to make better choices.

Wayne High School Educates Third Grade Class

Wayne High School’s Student Council is involved in INSight Youth Corps, a group that focuses on the health of the youth in Indiana. INSight uses high school students to help in the community as leaders. Wayne’s Student Council contributed their time to helping the community by traveling to Waynedale Elementary School and working with third graders.

The high school and elementary school students worked in small groups to make puppets and skits for the third graders to perform. Students involved were, Maria Beetham, Kaila Bunsold, Marastella Calderon, Samantha Crowell, Ashley Greer, Rachel Gutting, Andrea Jordan, Kelly McClendon, Chelsea Ross, Tashira Terry, and Tequasha Tubbs. Sponsors are Nancy Mack and Jean Wyss. 

“It was interesting to see what the kids would say or do,” said Maria Beetham. 

Kail Bunsold and Kelly McLendon were excited to have been able to teach useful information about smoking and the diseases it causes.  Samatha Crowell felt that the Student Council did a great job in passing on the non-smoking message.  Through their puppets, the third graders acted out and taught the facts they had learned to the other groups of students.

These Wayne High School students worked very hard at making sure the third graders understood the dangers of smoking.  Their information was based research that they had done under the guidance of Kathy Duchovic, RN, INSight Youth Corps Faculty Advisor through Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.  Wayne High School students will soon complete their second INSight project at the school.