Workshop guides SAD 29 teachers on healthy choices

15 years ago

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer

    HOULTON — While SAD 29 students were dismissed for an early-release day Thursday, teachers and staff members spent the afternoon in a special workshop learning about ways to live healthier lives.
    Sponsored by the SAD 29 Staff Wellness Team, Thursday’s workshop, entitled “Warming up to Winter in a Healthy Way,” featured Nancy Putnam, a family nurse practioner at Houlton Regional Hospital.
    “The meeting was for professional development,” said Lynne Brown, school health coordinator for SAD 29. “Nancy gave us something to think about in terms of offering a different way of eating.”
    Staff members were presented with a food pyramid and sample recipes — such as turkey chili and apple cabbage slaw — to try at home as part of the workshop. Putnam spoke on ways to learn how to stock a pantry with nutrient rich foods, plan meals on a budget and how to choose supplements that promote healthy living.
    “We try to do a lot with health and physical activity because a healthy teacher means fewer work absences and more productivity,” Brown said.
ImageHoulton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
JUST THE FACTS — Nancy Putnam, a family nurse practitioner at Houlton Regional Hospital, speaks to SAD 29 staff about the importance of a healthy diet during a teacher’s workshop Thursday.