SAU No. 5
Superintendent James Morse
36 Coe Drive
Durham, NH 03824
For Immediate Release
Monday, April 16, 2018
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Oyster River Launches “Take 5 for Balance” Challenge to Encourage Healthy Workplace Environment
DURHAM — To encourage healthy lifestyles among staff, Oyster River Cooperative School District launched the “Take 5 for Balance” challenge this month.
The voluntary eight-week program, created by Taylor O’Connor at HealthTrust, is part of Oyster River’s ongoing effort to prioritize overall wellness for its employees.
In the week since the challenge began on April 2, 236 staff have already signed up, forming 26 teams that compete in weekly exercise challenges during their work day. Each person and group records their workouts and accumulates points.
To maintain the energy and momentum of the program, participation prizes will be given out weekly by the “Prize Patrol” and a grand prize will be awarded to the winning team at the end of the challenge.
“Overall wellness is a priority for the district and health initiatives like this encourage collaboration and team building and assist in creating an Oyster River community environment,” Superintendent Morse said. “Employees who are committed to their health are also happier in their daily lives and better able to meet the Oyster River mission of engaging every student.”
While individual schools compete in wellness challenges multiple times a year, in the spring of 2014, Oyster River held its first district-wide competition: “7 Simple Moves.” The program called for participants to complete seven simple exercises every day that had been determined to reduce the occurrence of common injuries. At the end of the challenge, staff praised the community environment it fostered.
“We hope to capture that same excitement with our ‘Take 5 for Balance’ challenge,” Superintendent Morse said. “So far, staff are really embracing this, so we’re excited to see the end results in a couple of months.”
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