Rancho Viejo Middle School’s (RVMS) AVID program hosted a Health and Fitness Family Night on October 20th from 5:30-7:00p.m. The event was open to all Rancho Viejo students and their families.
Eighth grade science teacher, Lisa Rendon, helped coordinate this spectacular event. RVMS’s AVID hosts this event every three years. The science department has been teaching students about proper nutrition and felt this event would be a great chance for students to apply what they have learned.
Booths were set up inside the gym and outside on the field. Booths inside the gym were dedicated to different questions families may have. Hemet Valley Hospital along with Hemet Unified Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) Ms. Ault and Ms. Geist had a booth containing information on diabetes and heart disease. Hemet Unified’s Chef, Angela Phalen, hosted a booth presenting healthy recipes for families. There were a total of 13 booths inside the gym all providing information on keeping families healthy.
Outside on the field students participated in a variety of workouts. Hemet Fire Department held a fireman in training course, Major Antonio Williams, Tahquitz’s JROTC Teacher, held an ROTC work out, Hemet Saints youth football hosted a workout session, and there was much more!
Each participant received a water bottle and granola bar to help them during workout sessions. They also received information with links to access various healthy recipes.
“This event is a shining example of what it looks like when the school and the community partner together to support our students,” said Principal Jonathon Workman. He said he is extremely grateful for the amount of district and community support his site received for this event. He continued to say, “Our hope was that students and parents walked away with more information and options to ensure that healthy choices could be made and supported.”
Rancho Viejo staff’s main goal was to provide students a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of nutrition in an applicable way. They also wanted to provide an opportunity for parents to interact with the school community to work towards a common goal of positive physical and mental health.
Principal Workman said the event was a wonderful success. Nearly 500 people attended and parents and students did not want to leave the event. He expressed his excitement when he saw families considering their choices in regards to meals and exercise.
Thank you to the community agencies, Hemet Unified staff, and RVMS’s AVID team for creating another memorable event for students! The information that was shared will be invaluable to those that attended.