POEsitive Feedback

From Teachers

• Banks Road Elementary first grade teacher commented on their February 2011 trip to Poe Center:
  "The first grade students at Banks Road Elementary School attended the Poe Center for the first time recently. The overall experience was awesome...from the moment we arrived, to the moment that we left! The 'Healthy Habits' and 'Dental Health' programs were both informative, interactive, and motivating for the students, and aligned perfectly with the NCSCOS! Due to the weather we weren't able to picnic outside, but the staff was very accommodating and allowed us to picnic inside. Thankfully the skies cleared and we were able to take the kids out to the PlayWell Park, which was incredible! Thank you again and again for the great programs that you provided! We will be back next year!

From Other Organizations

• Feedback received from Passage Home Youth Services Coordinator, "On behalf of Passage Home I'd like to say thank you for two really super AWESOME field trips! Our youth as well as the staff really had a great time. When our teens came last week they set two new Poe Center records: the first group to arrange, in order, the healthy food puzzle game and our time on the exercise bike set a new record (45 sec). That says a lot; to be able to keep the attention of all our youth is great. So again I want to say thanks. Please tell everyone that accommodated us we greatly appreciate them. We look forward to doing more with you this school year."

From Parents

• The other night at dinner my 6-year-old said unprompted, Mommy, cake is not healthy. I looked up from my plate in bemused alarm; did my husband and I finally get through to her, or was she running a fever? Something was surely amiss. Before I could ask, she continued, It has a lot of sugar in it Now composed and ready to probe, I replied that was true and inquired where she learned such important information (beyond the 700 or so times we have reminded her of the very same idea only to be placated with vigorous nodding and then conveniently ignored the next time a prized treat was within her reach). She replied, at Poe. Ahhhh, this was starting to make sense. A friend (and former colleague) of mine had texted me earlier in the day when she ran into Ally and posed for the enclosed picture during a field trip to the Poe Center. If you are not familiar with the organization, The MISSION of the Poe Center for Health Education is to educate and empower North Carolina children, youth and their families to make choices that increase positive health behaviors. Well, if what my daughter picked up on her morning adventure there is any indication, they are doing their jobs admirably!
  Ally went on with her newfound penchant for preaching the benefits of healthy eating, citing that vegetable oil was healthy to cook with; one should not use butter or salt on corn; no butter should be used onpopcorn; 100 percent apple juice was a good choice, but anything less was just sugar water; fruits and vegetables were healthy; bagels were ok, but with not too much cream cheese; and brown bread was better than white bread. Very informative, though the best part was yet to come. After finishing her dinner, she asked, Mommy, can we have grapes for dessert? We sure can. Thanks, Poe Center for the third-party credibility that every PR professional (and parent) can appreciate! (submitted by Barrie Hancock)
• A parent visiting the Poe Center expressed her appreciation for the healthy lifestyle education her two daughters had received at the Poe Center over the past couple of years. She shared that at dinner one night they were having a discussion about serving size. When a small debate started, her younger daughter (6 years) supported her argument with this remark: "Don't tell me, I went to Poe Camp."

• After attending summer camp, my son Spencer has become very conscientious about making sure he gets 60 minutes of exercise each day. He has been putting all of his foods into "GO" and "SLOW" categories. He wants to eat healthier and exercise more. Also, he is talking about his teeth, and he is obviously trying to take better care of them. He lost his first tooth this week and wants me to save it in a bag to bring to the Poe Center and show the other students who come to the Poe Center the crown of the tooth (on a real tooth).

From Our School Partners

• In response to Wholesome Routines activities the teachers at Benhaven Elementary school set up a little competition to see which class scores the best on physical activity measurements from the beginning to the end of year. Most of the teachers volunteered to participate in Wholesome Routines (and the competition) with their students. These teachers have committed to betting their own health, while serving as great role models for their students.

From Our Educators

• At Rolesville Elementary School, where we have a year-long coordinated school health program, we provide a kick-off event. During the event, the students are involved in a number of health related games and competitions. As reward for their efforts, they receive small, plastic, 20 cent medallions to wear around their necks. Two months into the school year, one of the Poe Educators was at Rolesville to present a program. When she arrived, a kindergartener who remembered this educator from the kick-off event ran up to her and explained he had been doing the "Exercise Is Good For Me" activity almost everyday since the kick-off event. As they talked, the Educator noticed that he was still wearing the little plastic medallion he had received two months earlier at the kick-off event.

Would you like to provide POEsitive Feedback for our website? Email Kate Mascho at k.mascho@poehealth.org, and watch for your stories to appear on our website.