Hi, my name is Haylee H., and I am a senior at Westville High School. Did you know only 26% of Oklahoma high school students are physically active for 60 minutes a day? Additionally, 16.9% of Oklahoma children are overweight or obese.

I have been a part of Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) for one year and am a part of the Leadership Team. Through YAHL, I learned about school policies that can support student health and well-being through the Elevate Student Health campaign.

I care deeply about physical activity at school. I grew up in a household where everyone around me was overweight or obese. Seeing how much physical activity was lacking at school made me passionate about advocating for student health.

I started by meeting with my principal and learning more about the wellness policies at my school. Following the principal meetings, a classmate and I met with the school board. We shared our ideas for increasing physical activity throughout the school day. The school board listened to our ideas and took them into account.

A month later, my classmate met with the school board again, and they made the decision to update our wellness policy. Now, our school has a 100% comprehensive wellness policy.

I encourage you to stay passionate about the things you believe in and to advocate for student health.

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Blog Written By: Haylee Hill, Westville High School