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.

Success Stories

group of kids climbing on playground equipment

Education Sector Highlight: Run Club + Wellness Equipment | Melrose Elementary

Acquired a new massage chair for staff room, 6 picnic + full size tables for outdoor activities, a new Gaga Pit, and supported Run Club by covering cost of coaches.

the new calming room at lashmeet matoaka decorated with a calming atmosphere

Education Sector Highlight: Student and Staff Well-Being | Lashmeet Matoaka

Taught emotional regulation skills to students and created a calming room for them to practice. They’ve also invested in new recess equipment for students and yoga for staff.

montcalm kids playing with new PE equipment

Education Sector Highlight: Run Club and PE + Wellness Equipment | Montcalm Elementary

Montcalm has used equipment funded through WV Healthy Schools for Run Club, PE, and wellness. Equipment has also facilitated after school functions.

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"

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.

Meet the Team

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.

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

Emi Tsuda, PhD

Curriculum Specialist

Dana Voelker, PhD

Lead Evaluator

Leanne Watson

Graduate Assistant

James Wyant, PhD

Technology Specialist

Meet the Coalition

Physical Activity
- Josh Grant
  WVDE PE/PA Supervisor
Nutrition
- Keri Kennedy
  Manager WV Office of Child Nutrition
Health Education
- Chris Michael
  Health and Physical Education teacher and coach Ravenswood High School
Social and Emotional Climate
- Kelli Stanley
  School Principal, Mercer County Schools
Health Services
- Jamie Jeffrey,MD
  Pediatrician, Director, KEYS 4 Healthy Kids
- Jill Cochran
  Professor, Clinical Sciences, WV School of Osteopathic Medicine
Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services
- Kenneth Birchfield
  Senior Director of School-based Services, Southern Highlands CMHC
Employee Wellness
- Diane Miller
  District School Nurse Supervisor, Kanawha County Schools
Community Involvement
- Susan Gamble
  Director, WV Statewide Afterschool Network
- Melanie Seiler
  CEO, Active Southern WV
Family Engagement
- Kayla Benson
  Director, WV Statewide Family Engagement Center
- Emily Pearson
  Coordinator, Engaging Families WV., WV Dept of Ed

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: wvhealthyschools@mail.wvu.edu

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