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Formerly the KY Teen Pregnancy Coalition, the KY Youth Health Network has decided to expand their scope of work to all areas of preventative youth health behaviors. This organization, currently a 501c3, is going through a planning process to develop a new mission, purpose and strategic plan. This past Monday, I was fortunate enough to facilitate a strategic planning session with this passionate Board including representation from the Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Cabinet for Health Read ▸ about Kentucky Youth Health Network

Surprisingly, the most difficult, heated, complicated, divisive discussions in school health right now do not have to do with sex education, but celebrations and competitive foods (vending/fundraisers). I recently saw a friend post on Facebook that she brought cupcakes to her son's pre-school birthday party. I texted her that she was killing me! Her response? It's the last year he gets them. Well, I didn't respond, but I don't think she got it. I'm not against cupcakes or sugar. But, here's the Read ▸ about “It’s Just One Cupcake… What’s the Big Deal?”

Who REALLY loves webinars? I don't. But, living in a virtual world and working nationally, I have to stay current. And, one inexpensive, easy way to gain more knowledge, connect with new people and stay current is to participate in webinars. SPARK asked me to do a webinar  and I was flattered. The topic was comprehensive school health programs. Sure! I knew that topic. I could do it in my sleep. The bigger challenge? Keeping people interested and engaged throughout the 45-55 minutes. So, I Read ▸ about Who REALLY Loves Webinars?

As a business owner and someone completely immersed in the school health field, I find myself straddling two incredibly different worlds. K-12 schools are a completely different beast as compared to the business community, but both are incredibly important to the work I do.  Read ▸ about Leadership Lou; Best of Leadership Summit Reflections

This afternoon I have the privilege of speaking at Leadership Louisville's Best of Leadership Summit on my bicycle journey across the US this past summer, lessons learned and how those lessons relate to being a leader in your field, a champion in your work, a family member at home. More to come, but I hope you are able to attend and listen to stories from my 4,197 mile solo journey and learn how to balance work and play, consider who's on your team, use humor, how to be vulnerable, how to Read ▸ about Do Something Extraordinary

I am asked often, how, eleven years ago, at 27 years old, I came to oversee K-12 Health Education at the Oregon Department of Education. And now at age 38, I am a national school health consultant with current/pending Department of Education clients in Alaska, Missouri, Connecticut, Maine and organizations such as Clinton Foundation's Health Matters Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado Legacy Foundation, Kentucky Youth Health Network and Let's Move Active Schools.I Read ▸ about Who’s on My Team?

Yesterday I came across this article posted by the Huffington Post by Lisa T. McElroy for Slate called, What Happened When I Opted My Kids Out Of Standardized Tests. It is a sad, but true story of two highly educated parents making an informed decision for their daughters and how the education leadership pushes back. The pushing back is a result of higher up pressure on the importance of taking a test. “The principal then said that the test would show us how our Read ▸ about Standardized Testing- to What Extent?

Yesterday I posted a list of resources specific to the field of K-12 school health education. Today, I'm going to share a list of resources within the larger field of school health that I refer to regularly. I know there are many more out there. I'll attempt to categorize for ease of finding information! If you have others to share, email me and I'll add them to this post! PartnershipsPartnering for Success: How Health Departments Work and How to Work with Health Departments- This is a great Read ▸ about Resources to Support School Health