Williamson County Schools Adds Health and Wellness Specialist

Published August 8, 2007

Williamson County Schools has added a Health and Wellness Specialist to oversee the district's Coordinated School Health system.  Ken Brooks comes to Williamson county with more than 22 years of experience in education ranging from high school to the university level. 

The Coordinated School Health (CSH) system was initiated in Tennessee in 2000 as funds were provided for ten CSH pilot sites in various counties around the state.  In 2006, based on the success of those pilot sites, funding was increased to support a statewide expansion.  The Williamson County Schools system is now a beneficiary of this expansion.

The primary goal of CSH is to provide a coordinated and consistent message for healthy behaviors and safe living within each avenue of a student’s daily interaction. 

"This message needs to continue to expand beyond the physical education time into the classroom; recess; school lunches; vending choices; visits to health services; extracurricular programs; and staff as role models," says Brooks.  "Research proves that a consistent, healthy message within the entire community setting benefits the students, which ultimately benefits the entire community."

"Our ultimate desire is to create a safe, healthy and positive learning environment since there is a correlation that healthy students learn better," adds Brooks.  "As we keep in mind what food and activity are designed to achieve, rest assured the process can still include the concepts of fun and enjoyment.  The framework is designed to provide the proper guidelines while each student matures through the educational process."

Stay tuned for health tips, happenings and news throughout the year on continued developments of our CSH system.