Improve the physical and mental health of others | Waukesha County News

PEWAUKEE — Students in Pewaukee High School’s Insight Elements of Health and Medicine program have been working hard over the past few months to produce a product that would improve the health or well-being of others. Four of these students took their project to the next level by inviting the entire Pewaukee community to get involved.

Owen Hake, Katie McCormick, Ella Monday and Dana Wolkomir are hosting Beach Balance, a free community event Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to noon at Pewaukee Lake Beach, to provide a day of physical and mental wellness for the public. Students noticed a lack of physical and mental health resources in the Pewaukee area. And while their own high school provided them with a number of resources, including on-site psychologists, a therapy dog, and programs, they found there was a lack of access in the community.

“What we hope is that the event not only gives everyone resources to understand how to deal with mental health or how to prevent a bigger crisis, but we also hope that people will have a sense of community after they are gone, that which is kind of the most important thing because we want to bring everyone together,” he said on Monday.

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The students called local businesses and had meetings with organizations such as Rogers Behavioral Health, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, hoping they would commit their time and resources to the ‘event.

Reaching Treetops Yoga will offer hourly sessions for the duration of the event, Venture Wellness will distribute samples to promote health through nutrition, Stein’s Garden and Home donated seed packets for people to plant plants , Rogers will have a booth full of resources, there will be a crafting booth and more.

The community and school have been very supportive of the four students hosting the event, and even their classmates have stopped them in the hallways to share their excitement and let them know they will be there.

“When teens and young kids take a stand to do something they’re passionate about, you get a lot of positive feedback,” McCormick said.

Along with the sense of community the event provides, the students, all of whom have an interest in health care, recognized the importance of promoting mental health resources. All were personally affected or knew someone with mental health issues, and by learning about the lack of resources available in the community, they gained a better understanding of the issue.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone come together and everyone from all age groups to participate in the event. To see a bigger impact on the whole community would be fantastic,” Wolkomir said.

Saturday will be Hake’s first yoga experience, and while he says he’s not very flexible, he’s thrilled his first experience is on a beach at sunrise. “I think it’s going to be very beautiful to see while I’m doing yoga,” he said.

The project stems from the students’ Insight Elements of Health and Medicine class – a program that juniors and seniors can participate in. Students apply their graduate and undergraduate years and pass a series of interviews before being accepted into the program which will further aid their interest in healthcare careers.

Students are in the classroom for three hours a day all year round. In the fall, students take courses at Waukesha County Technical College to become certified practical nurses; they take a science course called Medical Interventions which emphasizes the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease; they take a math course that focuses on data collection practices and analyzing data to draw conclusions; they attend medical and health clinics with a mentor in a career field that interests them; and they are working on a series of independent projects.

The students of the program are currently working on their end-of-year project. According to Lauren Coleman, coordinator of the Insight Elements of Health and Medicine program, some students are working on 3D printing assistive devices for people with limb loss or other mobility issues; other students have created a care closet in each district building stocked with food, hygiene products, and clothing for students to take home; and then there’s Beach Balance.

“We’re just really proud of the students and the work they’ve done this year, especially these four,” Coleman said. “They have really taken this task and this project to the next level, on a larger scale, and we are really proud of the work they have done. We feel so lucky to have the support of our administration, community and district to be able to do this kind of outside the box work with our students to hopefully make a difference in their lives and in our community. .

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