Hi, I’m Jordan, and I go to Putnam City North High School. This is my first year in Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL). In YAHL, we work on a campaign called Elevate Student Health. Our goal is to try to improve school wellness policies to make them comprehensive and improve overall student health. We advocate for cleaner water, healthier food options and increased physical activity at school.  

At our Elevate Student Health events, we collect surveys so we can gauge the opinions of students, staff and parents about student health and school wellness policies. We can use this survey data at meetings with our principal, our superintendent and even school board members. These Elevate Student Health events take place during school-related activities, like sports events or PTO meetings. 

One experience I have had with Elevate Student Health was meeting with my principal. We told our principal that all of our water filters were red (meaning they were dirty). He wasn’t even aware that the water was bad and the filters needed to be changed. After our meeting, he let the other principals know, and they got new filters.

It made me feel good to talk to my principal and see kids actually drinking water and not being dehydrated. I care about updating my school’s wellness policy because for most kids, school meals are their only meal. School might also be the only place they can get clean drinking water. If we have poor food options and unclean water, and that is all we are offered, then that can lead to more health problems.

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By: Jordan Arnett, Putnam City North High School