What is a Healthy School Community? 

A healthy school community promotes a culture of wellness for all its members: students, teachers, administrators, principals, staff, parents, and community partners.

Healthy School Communities take a Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach. HPS is an internationally recognized and effective approach for building healthy school communities. It can be used to address a variety of health issues and can improve health, education, and social outcomes for children and youth.

A Healthy School Community: 

• Recognizes that healthy students learn better and achieve more;
• Understands that schools can directly influence students’ health and behaviours;
• Encourages healthy lifestyle choices, and promotes students’ health and well-being;
• Incorporates health into all aspects of school and learning;
• Links health and education issues and systems; and
• Needs the participation and support of families and the greater community. 

How is Student Health Supported in a Healthy School Community? 

Health and education are interdependent: healthy students are better learners, and better-educated individuals are healthier. Research has shown that a Healthy School Community is an effective way to promote that connection, improving both health and educational outcomes, while encouraging healthy behaviours that last a lifetime. 

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education encourages and supports schools to promote Healthy School Communities. 

Kelly Sherwood, RD, School Food Lead
ksherwood@hrce.ca
902-464-2000, ext. 2180 

Natasha Horne, School Food Lead
nhorne@hrce.ca
902-464-2000 ext. 4364

Navpreet Kaur, School Food Lead
Navpreet.kaur@hrce.ca
902-464-2000 ext. 4391

Krista Merner, School Food Lead
krista.merner@hrce.ca
902-464-2000 ext. 2039

Angela Day, School Health Promoter 
Angela.Day@hrce.ca 
902-464-2000, ext. 4414