West Virginia Healthy Schools in Action

A Culture of Wellness.

The WV Healthy Schools in Action mission is to cultivate a culture of wellness within West Virginia’s educational landscape. Grounded in the ‘Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child’ framework, we strive to elevate school health policies, practices, programs, and services to champion healthy behaviors and advance health equity practices.

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child.

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Our Mission: Promoting School Health in West Virginia.

Healthy Schools in Action is a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WVU CAHS Center for ActiveWV for 5 Years. Our mission is to promote the implementation of school health policies, practices, programs, and services. West Virginia is one out of 20 states in the U.S. to receive this grant with Mercer County being chosen as the priority LEA.

Success Stories

Success Story: Mountain Valley Elementary Recognized for Outstanding Wellness Initiatives

Mountain Valley Elementary School has been recognized for its dedication to wellness initiatives, receiving the Mountaineers Helping Mountaineers award.

Success Story: Utilizing the School Health Index

By leveraging the School Health Index (SHI), Princeton Primary has made significant strides in assessing and enhancing the well-being of students, staff, and the greater school community.

Success Story: Bluefield High School Students Embrace Healthier Lifestyles with Pedometers

At Bluefield High School, students are stepping up to a healthier future with the help of pedometers.

Princeton Primary School Wellness Team Lead/School Nurse: Tonya Osborne

"The SHI enabled our school Wellness Council to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and helped us develop avenues to build on our strengths and begin correcting our weaknesses."

"The SHI allowed us to discover a greater need for family and community involvement in our schools and then subsequently begin exploring ways to utilize more community partnerships and activities to involve our families."

"The results of our SHI showed us a significant weakness in our employee health and wellness programs. It helped us develop and seek out programs and activities to improve this area"

Meet the Team

Eloise Elliott, PhD

Project Director

Angela Watkins

Program Coordinator

Sean Bulger, EdD

Online Learning and Communication Specialist

Kristin McCartney, MS

Nutrition Specialist

Emily Murphy, PhD

Interventions Specialist

Kaitlyn Shaffer, MPA

WV CARDIAC Project Manager

Emi Tsuda, PhD

Curriculum Specialist

Dana Voelker, PhD

Lead Evaluator

Leanne Watson

Graduate Assistant

James Wyant, PhD

Technology Specialist

Building healthier communities.

We are committed to fostering environments where every child has the opportunity to thrive physically, mentally, and academically. Together, we are building healthier schools and healthier communities for West Virginia.

October observances

Improving the culture of physical activity in our state by providing awareness, education, guidance, and opportunities.

Get in Touch

WV Healthy Schools in Action Project: [email protected]

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