Bear Creek Middle featured on CNN for "Power of Half"
Bear Creek Middle School was featured recently on CNN for its involvement with “The Power of Half,” a book written by an Atlanta family that showed how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference by giving back. A fan of the book and its ideals, school social worker Dr. Ed Morris contacted the Salwen family and last year brought the Power of Half’s concepts to Bear Creek Middle School. He soon saw a change in culture as students began looking beyond themselves and began looking at how they could make an impact in their world. This led to a powerful climate change in the school, where the majority of students’ families qualify for free/reduced meals and often cope with other societal problems – all of which have affected student learning. Many of the students who discussed "The Power of Half" as Bear Creek students are now freshman at nearby Creekside High School and are carrying on their transformation there. Watch the story on CNN.
Bear Creek Wins Bronze Award from Alliance for a Healthy Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, awarded Bear Creek its Bronze Award. To earn this award, Bear Creek, led by Coach Tasha Downing-Hill and in conjunction with FCS Nutrition department, revamped its meals service and physical activity programs to meet or exceeded stringent standards. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. Bear Creek and The Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, restaurants, doctor’s offices and communities. The National Recognition Award winners join 274 other schools that are receiving this honor for their healthy achievements.