Schools, HWO, heart group partner for hydration goals

Two organizations are working together to help students stay hydrated by drinking more water.

The American Heart Association and Healthy West Orange are partnering again for The Hydration Program, which started in 2021.

The program provides supplemental resources to local middle schools, such as water bottles and educational materials, to encourage children to reduce their intake of sugary beverages and make the switch to water instead. The Hydration Program resources include a water bottle, Rethink Your Drink Challenge, family newsletter, heart-health lesson plan and activity, morning announcement, and video.

HWO donates about 800 bottles to each school.

In its initial year, the program had three local middle schools: Lakeview, Ocoee and Gotha. There are now 10; Bridgewater Middle has joined the others. Participating last year were Horizon West, SunRidge and Chain of Lakes middle schools.

When the schools participate in Hydration Week, its students receive a water bottle and sign a water pledge. The school selects the week in which to incorporate the lesson plan and creates fun activities to go along with the program, which is geared for sixth-graders.

It’s up to the individual schools how they want to engage their students. Some offer incentives for drinking more water, others include a fun activity during lunch or hold field days on the campus.

Heather Maloney, executive director for Orlando Heart Association, said the AHA began working with Healthy West Orange after being introduced to the organization at an AHA event.

“The whole reason for this collaboration is our missions so closely align, and that’s why we try to spread the word (about hydration).”

“The feedback has been great,” said Kristin Helmick, AHA’s development director for school engagement. “Each year that it goes on, they theme it out even more and have more fun every year. I think it’s great that the sixth-graders are getting together and making it happen.”

In Helmick’s position, she works with the schools for a variety of health programs, such as Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge, formerly Jump Rope for Heart. There is no cost to the schools for these healthy programs.

Orange County Public School is fourth in the nation for active schools, Helmick said.

In the past several years, Orange County Public Schools has retrofitted its schools’ water fountains to include water bottle filling stations. The program was paid for by Partners in Education.

“We’ve continued to collab with Healthy West Orange because our missions so closely align, and our mission at the American Heart Association is to create happier, healthier lives,” said Emory Parkins, marketing and communications director for the AHA. “I think narrowing that down to us trying to create a healthier community in Orlando is what made this partnership make so much sense.”