An initiative to educate students on healthy lifestyles landed a Borderland teacher an honor that has been out of reach for Minnesota educators for more than 15 years.
Lois Lewis, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Indus High School, has been named the “2012 National Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year” by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. The honor follows the recognition of “Teacher of the Year” by Minnesota Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in December.
“I was really not expecting to win,” the educator of more than 20 years told The Journal Friday. “There are a lot of great entries for this award. I never imagined my program would stack up against them.”
Lewis submitted the program she has spearheaded since 2004 called “Healthy Initiatives,” for the award. She said after receiving the honor at the state level, “it was the expectation” that she would apply for the national recognition.
“(Entering the contest) required quite a bit of work,” Lewis admits. “I spent my entire Christmas vacation working on it.”
Included in Lewis’ submission, was information regarding how “Healthy Initiatives” has made a more hands-on, student-centered program, which facilitates a better learning of healthy nutrition for students. The program makes students more aware of the components of a healthy lifestyle and helps them to make better choices in their daily lives.
“I aim to teach kids to have good habits now that will guide them to have less problems when they are older,” Lewis explained.
In addition, a statement reads that Lewis’ program “utilizes methods, techniques, and activities to allow students to be involved in making healthy choices.”
“I think having some exciting things going on in the program makes kids more interested,” Lewis said.
Lewis guesses “Healthy Initiatives” stood out to the judges panel because, like many others, her program targets obesity prevention and a healthy lifestyle approach to education. She said her efforts stress making sure students are aware of the lifelong benefits good nutrition has.
“I also think the fact that I have been able to get some publicity for my program was also key because Family and Consumer Science classes have taken a lot of hits over the years,” she said. “I believe I have an attractive program and I seek grants to help make it possible.”
Through the eight years Lewis has formed and reshaped the building blocks of her program, she said she is proud to provide learning opportunities that are engaging and effective for students.
“In my area, it is always hard to determine was is really life changing,” Lewis said. “Change is difficult for people in the foods and nutrition area and it is hard to measure if there has been change — most people don’t tell you it made a difference until years later.”
She added that helping students see the connection between their habits now and how those habits will measure up later in life is very important.
Lewis will be honored for her award at a convention in June, in which she will be a guest speaker. She will be able to introduce the program to her colleagues and will provide discussions on how it works and its effectiveness, she said.
“I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to work in a position that has made it possible for me to teach something that I truly believe in,” Lewis concluded. “I encourage every district in the state to consider keeping or reinstating their Family and Consumer Science programs, because I think the classes really speak to the needs that young people and their families have.”
