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A wonderful, educational event

Dear Editor:

Recently, 33 Spanish-speaking Glenwood Springs High School students participated in an all-day preventative health program hosted by the Roaring Fork Family Resource Centers.

The students are part of the English Language Learner (ELL) program at the high school and have limited understanding of the school’s health curriculum because they are still learning English. The Resource Centers provide ELL Health Day free of charge so that students have access to vital health and wellness information in their first language. We are happy to report that the students listened intently to the sessions, and they evaluated what they learned with five stars!



We would like to recognize the health care providers who volunteered their time, sharing their knowledge with the students. Jenny Lang from Mountain Family Health Center and Gaby Bello from Planned Parenthood educated the students on sexually transmitted diseases and the reproductive systems. Student/mothers from the Yampah Teen Parent Program participated by sharing their hard-earned wisdom about making choices as teen mothers. Karen Iverson from the Advocate Safehouse project presented a bilingual slide show sharing insight about healthy relationships and how they differ from abusive relationships. Kathy Johnson provided hands-on nutrition information and helped the students visually see how much sugar is in one can of Pepsi (16 teaspoons!). We followed the nutrition piece with students making their own whole-wheat wraps with fresh meat, veggies and a few jalapenos!

Thanks to our teachers, John Mount and April Paine. Thanks to Terry Glasenapp at Colorado Mountain College for his help and CMC for providing the space free of charge. And thanks to all the Glenwood High School students who attended, listened and asked meaningful questions.




The Roaring Fork Family Resource Centers are a nonprofit entity of the Roaring Fork School District. The Centers connect families, schools and communities to improve student health, well-being and academic achievement.

Special thanks to the Betty Jane Schuss Charitable Trust for funding this project.

Katie Marshall

special events coordinator, Roaring Fork Family Resource Centers