Athens, Ga. – Approximately 1,300 second-grade students in the Clarke County School District will visit the University of Georgia campus April 7-10 during National Public Health Week for a field trip that will introduce them to basic health principles through hands-on activities with UGA students.
Sponsored by Athens Regional Medical Center, the event is part of Experience UGA, an initiative that aims to bring all Clarke County students to UGA’s campus for an annual field trip to experience learning on a college campus, explore college options and interact with UGA students. This trip was organized by students in UGA’s College of Public Health.
Each day, groups of approximately 250 students from three to four different schools will visit UGA’s Stegeman Coliseum from 9:30-11 a.m. and will participate in four stations focused on nutrition, hand-washing and germ spread, physical activity and bullying prevention. Each station will include a Q&A session where students will learn basic principles followed by a hands-on activity or game. The event is being staffed by more than 100 UGA undergraduate and graduate students from numerous schools and colleges.
“I think it is important to connect younger populations with public health concepts to support the development of positive attitudes toward health and to empower kids with some autonomy in their health behaviors,” said Deenene Chandler, event organizer and Master of Public Health candidate. “I hope the students attending the trip leave feeling that healthy behaviors like being active, choosing healthy foods, washing their hands and preventing bullying can be fun and easy.”
Experience UGA is a partnership launched in 2014 between the Clarke County School District, UGA Office of Service-Learning, College of Education’s Office of School Engagement, and other units on campus. This year the trips included eight grade levels. Nearly 10,000 students out of 13,000 students in the Clarke County School District have visited the UGA campus this year.
UGA Office of Service-Learning
In service-learning courses, students participate in service activities that address community issues in order to enhance academic learning and teach civic responsibility. The UGA Office of Service-Learning supports the development of academic service-learning and community engagement initiatives designed to enhance students’ civic and academic learning, promote engaged research that is responsive to community needs, and contribute to the public good through mutually beneficial community-university partnerships. The office is jointly supported by the Offices of the Vice President for Instruction and Public Service and Outreach. For more information, see www.servicelearning.uga.edu.
UGA College of Education’s Office of School Engagement
The Office of School Engagement at the University of Georgia serves as a bridge between the worlds of theory and practice in P-16 public education to improve the educational experiences of students and the professional lives of educators. For more information, see www.coe.uga.edu/ose.