The Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ wellness council has announced the eight schools that won the 2024 Wellness School of Distinction Award.

The award recognizes schools prioritizing the health and well-being of students, staff and school supporters by going beyond the curriculum to produce positive outcomes for the school community.

Jones Elementary School, Marley Elementary School, Ridgeway Elementary School, Old Mill Middle School North, Severn River Middle School, Southern Middle School, Severna Park High School and Southern High School won, according to a Dec. 20 statement from the council.

The award is given annually as part of the Board of Education’s policy on wellness. This year, schools that won in 2021 or earlier were eligible to apply to maintain their statuses. Jones Elementary School and Southern High School earned their third designations while all the other schools achieved the distinction for the first time.

Schools must show that their culture emphasizes wellness as defined by the components of the whole school, community, child model that was designed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The components are health education, physical activity, health services, nutrition environment and services, counseling, psychological and social services, social and emotional climate, physical environment, employee wellness, family engagement and community involvement.

The district provides schools with a wellness toolkit, a central source of resources and information on the various components.

The application window for the 2025 award will open in the spring. Schools that won the award in 2022 may apply to maintain their designations. Parents and community members are encouraged to be involved in the application process.

While a copy of the application is available on the district website, final submissions must be made online by a school employee with approval from the principal.

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