Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
IRONWOOD JUNOR Hayley Jarocki demonstrates the importance of good dental hygiene and how it can relate to heart health Thursday during the Ironwood Schools' inaugural health and wellness fair at Luther L. Wright K-12 School.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Ironwood - Those attending the basketball game Thursday night at Luther L. Wright K-12 School may not have expected it, but they had the opportunity to learn about the importance of healthy living as the Ironwood Area Schools hosted its inaugural health and wellness fair the same night.
The event was organized by some of the students in the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District's Certified Nursing Assistant program, with the help of district staff.
"It's all about heart health, (that's) the overarching theme," Amanda Sprague, the GOISD's CNA instructor said. "So 'promote, protect, prevent' is their theme."
The students worked with Food Service Director Mary Hampston Kusz, gym teacher Ceci Aho and a variety of other relevant community organizations to put on the fair.
The event included tables from Aspirus Ironwood Hospital, Gogebic County's Michigan State University-Extension office and the Ironwood's Parent-Teacher Organization, with information and things to give away.
Ironwood junior Hayley Jarocki manned a table giving out toothbrushes and had a model of a diseased mouth to show what can happen if people don't brush. Jarocki said that plaque build-up on teeth can lead to heart disease, if not treated.
Jarocki said she liked being in the CNA program, saying not only did it have hands-on learning opportunities like the health fair, but also gave her a chance to understand more of the terms her parents - who are both in the medical field - use.
Another table at the fair featured a virtual reality display of a smoker's lung, compared with a healthy lung.
Sprague said the students organized the health fair as part of their participation in Health Occupational Students of America - an organization that allows kids to become involved in the community and develop leadership skills.
The next project for the students, according to Sprague, is teaching CPR to Ironwood seniors - which also meets a state requirement the seniors learn CPR before graduation.
Hampston Kusz said she hopes the health fair becomes an annual event, growing with more vendors and information in future years.
