b'The DeMar Kids Marathon: A Yearly Incentive to Stay FitThe Clarence DeMar Marathon has been a much loved and anticipated I think the wellness committee has theWe hope to work with that districtsevent in Keene for 37 years. And the momentum to make it happen. Blackestablished wellness committee andKids DeMar Marathon, started in 2012, adds that other factors that determineuse the WellSAT tool to see wherehas been growing in participation by how a wellness policy is implementedchanges can be made, says Rubin. area schoolchildren each year.such as whether a policy item fits theSchools have been very supportiveWhen it began, about 350 schools budgetare all a part of theand interested in seeing positiveschoolchildren qualified to run the final wellness policy. changes happen, adds Rubin. Fromlast 1.2 miles of the race (to qualify As a culture, we love fast food, pizzathe perspective of Healthy Monadnockthey had to log in running a total of and soda, says Black. We have to figureand our community working to get25 miles throughout the spring and out how we make school a differenthealthierthe greatest positivesummer before the race).place for kids. change will come from policy andIn 2013, participation grew to Models for healthy behaviors system changes. more than 700 children from 25 The key to a successful wellness *For more information, visit www.wellsat.org. area elementary schools. This year, policy at any school, notes Black, isnearly 900 children participated, a committed staff willing to modelrepresenting 30 area schools. healthy behaviors for the students. The DeMar Kids Marathon is Whether youre a kindergartnera cooperative effort that brings or 11th-graderyou look up to yourAs a culture,together many Healthy Monadnock teachers, he says. we love fast food, pizzaOrganizational Champions including: The wellness committee, which willThe Keene Elm City Rotary Club, meet regularly throughout the schooland s the Hoffman Family Foundation, year, will oversee implementation andoda. We have to monitoring of the districts wellnessfigure out how we canCheshire Medical Center/policy, create an evaluation plan ofDartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, the policy with identified outcomemake school a di Advocates for Healthy Youth measures and share this report with thefferentCoalition (AFHY), Keene State school and the larger community eachplace for kids. College, MoCo Arts, the Keene year.Family YMCA, the City of Keene and Now that the Keene School District isBeeze Tees.on its way to refining its wellness policy,Healthy Monadnock applauds Healthy Monadnocks Linda Rubinall the children who qualified and plans to take the WellSAT tool to otherran this years race and the parents, districts. Next stop: the Monadnockguardians and teachers who Regional School District.supported them! Nice going!www.healthymonadnock.org 15'