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Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum.

South Davis Elementary students walk in for their pitch.

Shark Tank’s theme music played as six South Davis Elementary students – dressed sharply in matching blue blazers – filed in and took their places in front of the panel of judges.

They were there to pitch for a Wellness Innovation Grant from . All members of South Davis’s Running Club, the students asked the panel of judges – representing , , the , and other community and school leaders – for a running track at their school.

The South Davis Bulldogs had a hard act to follow. Just before them, five Bowie High School students had wowed the judges with their own grant pitch to revitalize a courtyard at their school.

But the elementary students did their own wowing.

“Once you got the track, how often would you use it?” asked one of the judges.

Crow Leadership Academy’s team prepares to give their pitch.

A South Davis student immediately raised his hand.

“A hundred times a day,” he said.

Another student explained that their running club keeps them healthy.

“It’s taught me to encourage others to run and to stay healthy,” she said.

Staying healthy – and encouraging others to stay healthy – is exactly what Texas Health is after with its Wellness Innovation Grant, underwritten by the Fort Worth-based R4 Foundation. Studies show that healthier students perform better, have higher attendance rates, tend to be better adjusted and socially connected, and have greater potential for future job opportunities and income earnings.

This is the seventh year of the program designed to encourage healthy living at 91ֱ�� and Fort Worth schools. This year, six teams advanced to the finals in the competitive process, including South Davis, Bowie and two others from 91ֱ��: Crow Leadership Academy and Rankin Elementary.

All four student teams clearly impressed the judges because all four teams won.

Bowie students find out they won a grant.

About a week after the student presentations, representatives from Texas Health visited all four 91ֱ�� finalists and surprised them with $5,000 grants to fund their proposals.

• Bowie High School: Students at Bowie plan to revitalize the school’s Legacy and Wellness Courtyards to create spaces where fellow students can relax, reflect, and recharge. Grant funds will be used to purchase outdoor seating, landscaping materials, raised gardening beds, plants and maintenance supplies. The improved courtyards will be available to students at times during the day, and can be reserved by faculty for instruction and by clubs and groups for afterschool activities.
• Crow Leadership Academy: Crow’s Earthly Explorers garden club wants to share the benefits of gardening and nature with fellow students through a Wellness Labyrinth. The labyrinth will be more of a maze than a walking path, with tall grasses, outdoor musical instruments, and various plants that can be touched and examined along the way. While the labyrinth will be available to support outdoor instruction, the main outcome will be to provide a space where students can take a mental break and be more focused for learning in the classroom.
  

  Rankin Elementary students surprised with grant.

• Rankin Elementary: Rankin’s student council leaders are leading the way on campus by bringing the Rankin Recharge Room to the school. Funding will pay for seating, sensory and regulation tools, reflection materials, and wellness resources for staff. The room won’t just be a space to hang out. While there, students will gain learning skills for managing stress, emotions, and challenges so they can do their best work in the classroom. Teachers will also have access to the room for relaxation.
• South Davis Elementary: Soon, more South Davis students will be “Running with the Bulldogs” thanks to Wellness Innovation Grant funding. The school’s new running club wants to run faster, farther, and more safely, but runners don’t have a flat, clear running path around the school. Through the grant, the Bulldogs plan to work with the district’s Operations team to clear and level their makeshift track through the trees with crushed gravel and sand. Funds will also be used for pedometers, running shoes, team T-shirts, and running awards to motivate even more students to join the running club and stay active.

“Year after year, these students continually impress us with their commitment to improving their schools and their own personal well-being,” said Bret Helmer, R4 Foundation president. “They are our future, and it is clear from the competition that our future is in good hands.”

Matt Dufrene, vice president of Community Partnerships, Ambulatory and Virtual Channel at Texas Health, said schools play a key role in creating an environment that promotes healthy behaviors that can last into adulthood.

“When we can get students engaged in making healthy choices at a young age, we set them up for a lifetime of well-being,” Dufrene said. “We look forward to seeing these ideas come to life on area campuses, knowing that the impact of these students’ efforts will be felt for years to come.”

Since Wellness Innovation Grants were first awarded during the 2019-2020 school year, they have provided over $175,00 in support to Tarrant area schools. The grant program is just one way Texas Health is supporting health and well-being in schools. Other Texas Health Community Hope initiatives that promote wellness for students and their families include: school bookfairs and literacy initiatives; access to healthy foods and nutrition education; after school and physical activities; support for school learning gardens; and resources through the Texas Health School Wellness Network.