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Superintendent reports new turf at Maricopa Wells, district wellness app and school garden grant
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Lopeman reported that a courtyard at Maricopa Wells Middle School was transformed with synthetic turf, the district launched a Wellable wellness platform for employees, a certification fair drew 30 attendees, two schools won "friendliest school" awards, and Butterfield Elementary received a $10,000 Sprouts grant for a garden.
Superintendent Dr. Lopeman told the Maricopa Unified School District governing board on Aug. 13 that a courtyard at Maricopa Wells Middle School has been transformed into a learning space with synthetic turf and other upgrades and that the district launched a new health and wellness platform for benefit-eligible employees.
The superintendent said Wellable — a free wellness platform that links to smartphone and smartwatch apps — kicked off the district’s first districtwide challenge, “Hydrate for Health,” on Aug. 1. Dr. Lopeman said the district aims to “be the healthiest district in the state” and that Wellable will let employees track activity, join challenges and earn rewards.
Dr. Lopeman also reported that the district’s human resources team hosted a certification fair with 30 attendees and representatives from six partner institutions to help prospective hires and current staff pursue or complete appropriate certification. One metric called out in the district’s strategic plan, the superintendent said, is achieving 100 percent of teachers appropriately certified for their positions.
The superintendent recognized two schools for customer service during a secret-shopper visit at the end of last school year: Maricopa Virtual Academy, where Registrar Melissa Alvarado personally guided a prospective parent through online enrollment, and Santa Cruz Elementary, where receptionist Sarah Armstrong was commended for warm phone interactions.
Finally, Dr. Lopeman said Butterfield Elementary received a $10,000 grant from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation to expand its garden program. Plans described to the board include a sensory garden with raised beds and pollinator-friendly plants, an edible garden for nutrition education, shaded seating, irrigation, composting and curriculum connections.
