I’m Jordan Arnett, and I’m a junior at Putnam City North High School. I've been in Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) for about 3 years and on the leadership team for 2 years. As a YAHL member, I work on Elevate Student Health. Elevate Student Health is all about adopting updated policies in our schools in order for us to get more physical activity, cleaner drinking water, and more nutritious (but good tasting) food.

Personally, for the Elevate Student Health campaign, I’ve talked to my principals, school board leaders, and fellow classmates. One of my favorite events I’ve done was with a group of buddies at the state wrestling event, where we talked to classmates and kids from all over the state. We talked about how much nutrition is in their schools and if they had any availability to get any physical activity outside of their sport. We also talked to parents and asked if their children actually ate the school's food and if it energized them in any way, shape, or form. Parents' responses were often surprised and disappointed about how little nutrition there was in school food, and oftentimes talked about how their kid always seemed tired or hungry after school. While students mentioned that they often don’t get physical activity outside of their sport at school, and how the water never tasted good because the filters weren’t changed, resulting in dirty water. These experiences highlight the importance of Elevate Student Health.

Elevate Student Health is important because currently, over 29.5% of kids in Oklahoma are overweight or obese. Kids also oftentimes don’t get the recommended physical activity for their age, or clean drinking water in their school buildings. By working to change these policies, we can make schools a healthier and cleaner place.

Thank you!

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By: Jordan Arnett, Putnam City North