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District wellness committee outlines staff and student programs funded by Team Nutrition grant

Wisconsin Rapids School District Board of Education · January 13, 2026
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Summary

District staff and UW Extension described wellness activities including staff yoga, a gratitude challenge, a student wellness advisory group (SWAG) that ran waste studies and share‑cart pilots, and grant-funded collaborations to expand screening and financial‑wellness resources for employees.

Melanie Haneman, identified on the record as the district services director, and Hannah Wendell Scott, a health and well‑being educator with UW Extension, presented an update on the Wisconsin Rapids School District wellness committee and related grant activities. They described staff‑focused programming driven by a staff survey and a Team Nutrition Wellness Collaborative grant intended to strengthen the district’s local school wellness policy.

The presenters said the committee includes roughly 18 members who meet monthly and that programming this year has included a week‑long gratitude challenge, monthly staff yoga classes paid for by the district, and a SMART‑goal challenge that had 53 staff enrolled in January. Haneman said the district used grant funds to provide a new share cart in school cafeterias and to support student‑led waste‑reduction studies that informed menu and service adjustments. “We just take their campaign and run with it,” Haneman said of adopting established programming to avoid duplicating effort.

UW Extension’s Wendell Scott described student engagement via a Student Wellness Advisory Group (SWAG) that planned activities such as taste tests and a heart‑themed scavenger hunt to encourage healthy choices. She also summarized extension resources being offered to staff: an evidence‑based ‘‘We Cope’’ six‑week virtual stress‑support program, a 13‑module Money Matters financial education course with optional live sessions starting in February, and one‑on‑one financial coaching. Wendell Scott said the We Cope program had filled its first offering and that about 21 staff were registered for upcoming sections.

District leaders said the Team Nutrition grant covers staff time needed to implement building‑level wellness strategies and that the committee is trying to broaden parent and community participation. The board received the report and had no substantive questions; members thanked the presenters for the update.