Hi, my name is Kira Miller, and I am in my junior year of high school. This is my first year being a part of the YAHL program. I’ve participated in an elementary principal meeting and talked about the importance of the health of youth.

YAHL stands for Youth Action Health for Leadership, and under the YAHL program there are two campaigns. One campaign within the program is called Elevate Student Health. Elevate Student Health strives to get comprehensive school wellness policies in place by presenting at school board meetings, principal meetings, and wellness committee meetings. There are many elements in my school wellness policy that can be improved. For example: the addition and upkeep of water filters throughout the school, increasing physical activity during school days, and access to more nutritious meals during breakfast and lunch. 

It is crucial to prioritize our health to ensure we are performing at our best. Elevate Student Health is here to help make clean drinking water, better nutrition and physical activity in schools not only easy to learn about but easy to talk about. Education around the importance of water, nutrition and physical activity contributes to the support of comprehensive school wellness policies in schools.

Many people do not have the energy they need at school or work due to not getting enough nutritious food or any physical activity throughout the day. Elevate Student Health improves school wellness policies so that we can live healthier lifestyles and change the future for the youth.

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By: Kira Miller, Vanoss High School