Brownwood ISD school nurses are serving as health teachers for the CATCH program.  CATCH stands for the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health, which is a program integrating knowledge of nutrition, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle in children.  In the past, teachers incorporated the health lessons into their class, but this year school nurses will be teaching CATCH lessons in kindergarten through fourth grade.  Brownwood Intermediate coaches will be teaching the lessons for fifth and sixth grade.

“It gives us a good opportunity to interact with the kids when they are not sick or hurt,” said District Director of Nursing, Helen Lacy, RN.  There are six lessons in the CATCH curriculum.  The school nurses will be teaching the lessons on their respective campuses.

CATCH kicked off this week at Woodland Heights Elementary.  Students learned that a healthy lifestyle is important “so our hearts will grow stronger and we can play longer.”

The first lesson was about fiber; students learned what fiber is, where it comes from, and how it helps clean the body.  Mrs. Lacy compared it to a scouring brush that scrubs off tough stains on a pan.

At the end of the class, students turned to each other and said, “High fiber!” while giving each other a high five.

Pictured above:  Woodland Heights second graders assist nurse, Helen Lacy, in the first CATCH lesson.