On May 20, school nutrition directors, managers, and business managers from Massachusetts gathered for day one of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs Summit at Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood. This annual conference promotes healthy students and healthy school nutrition programs, and is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and The John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition.
The conference began with a welcome from Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester, from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Scott Noyes from Empowering Programs gave the morning keynote, Communicating with Confidence and Clarity. Noyes provided many tips on how to effectively communicate in the workplace. For example, body language plays a large role in how messages are conveyed. According to Noyes, the intent of our words is 10% word choice, 30% tone of voice, and 60% body language. Noyes provided more in-depth education on how to create a positive work environment and how to communicate with and motivate staff was provided in the Continuous Quality Improvement track.
Dr. Robert Murray, Professor of Human Nutrition at The Ohio State University, provided the lunch keynote on The Learning Connection. Dr. Murray discussed how stress, exercise, and diet affect brain development and academic performance. Participants learned that a good diet can increase the number of brain cells, and help the brain to make stronger and faster connections. Meanwhile, exercise can help to improve memory, cognition, and executive function.
The day wrapped up with additional breakout sessions in the areas of Continuous Quality Improvement, Resource Management, and Promotion and Marketing. Visit the 2015 Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs page for presentation files from the summit, and view more photos from the conference on our Pinterest board. Stay tuned for highlights from day two of the conference!
