Cisco High School HST Health Fair Tuesday, Oct. 21
October marks a change of seasons around the Big Country. The weather is cooler; the leaves are turning. Carnivals, festivals, and fairs are often held to celebrate the change. In Cisco, the students of Cisco Elementary look forward to October for an annual fair of their very own: the Health Fair. This year the Health Fair will be held Tuesday, October 21st.
For almost a decade, the Cisco High School Health Science Technology classes have created an educational carnival for the youngest of Loboes, filling the gymnasium with games, activities, balloons, and prizes for everyone. Behind this fun-filled day, however, are teaching moments for all involved. Students learn life-long lessons about healthy habits in personal hygiene, nutrition, and exercise.
“I want these kiddos to gain knowledge about things they really have little information about sometimes,” said Pam Duncan, RN, the CISD school nurse and Director of the Health Science Technology (HST) Program. “The Health Fair gives the little ones things they need in a fun atmosphere that some of them might not have outside of school. Some of them may have never really gotten to go to a fair before!”
High school HST students spend months planning the event. They work with CHS Art teacher, Kelly Sellers, to create all the decorations, and they must learn the information about their particular health fair game to teach the elementary students. The students also create or make their costumes for the fair to go along with the chosen theme each year. “It is also a critical learning time for my high school students. They are learning communication skills, planning and organizing skills, and they are learning to teach,” Duncan adds.
Gift bags, snacks, decorations, and prizes are funded through the HST program budget while the Cisco Sonic donates cases of water each year to aid the effort.
Hundreds of students at Cisco Elementary have learned important lessons related to personal health and wellness through the event, and it is a highly anticipated activity for the campus each fall. “I really believe this helps all our kids,” Duncan said.