The Live It! program presents healthy lifestyle concepts in a fun and engaging way, designed to enhance students’ and their families’ awareness of and action towards healthy food choices and physical activity.

Live It! originated with the help of grant funding and the Food For Thought Coalition, which is comprised of the participating schools, Columbus Community Hospital (CCH) and the Columbus Community Hospital Foundation. The program is now fully funded by Columbus Community Hospital, the Volunteers of Columbus Community Hospital, and the Columbus Community Hospital Foundation, allowing the program to be offered free of charge to students at each of the schools.

The program is incorporated into 6th grade health or science curriculum at the following schools:
     • Columbus Middle School
     • St Jerome Middle School
     • Fall River Middle School
     • Zion Lutheran Middle School
     • Marshall Elementary School

Live It! Curriculum

The Live It! program is not just another class taught in schools, but a unique, fun, and engaging competition where students learn. Throughout the program, each class earns points based on student completion of in-class and take-home activities. Family involvement is encouraged with take-home activities, including an adult interview, recipe booklet, couch potato workout, and nutrition/physical activity goal setting action plan. 

The class accumulating the most points wins the grand prize; a field trip to CCH for a healthy cooking class with CCH’s Executive Chef, Melissa Osterhoff. The top-scoring student in each individual class receives a trophy and healthy gift card, while all students receive a prize for participation at the end of the program. 

Lessons include: 

• Introductory & Wrap Up sessions
• 10 Nutrition lessons
• 3 Physical Activity lessons

Reach & Results

Since its inception in 2012, Live It! has directly reached over 1,700 students and their families.

After completing Live It! students report*:

• Thinking more about how food choices will affect their health
• Making the switch to a lower-fat milk
• Drinking less sugar-sweetened beverages
• Eating less processed foods (chicken nuggets, hot dogs, Easy Mac)
• Participating in some type of physical activity more days each week

* Results are based on feedback from student surveys, which are assigned at both the start and completion of the program.

For more information about Live It! please contact Jessica Davidson at jdavidson@prairieridge.health or 920.623.1294.