Philip's Academy Charter School Leading the Charge in Student Health

By Aliyya Shelley Mattos, PaperSeed Executive Director

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting with Charity Ferreira and Frank Mentesana at Phillips Academy in New Jersey. During my visit, I was treated to a very informative tour of the school and saw firsthand how their holistic approach is changing lives and the community.

Philip’s Academy serves families from Newark and the surrounding area, and their approach to education is both innovative and hands-on. In 2015, we provided funding for an outdoor classroom, which has created a unique space for a variety of activities from vegetable sorting to yoga. I got to see our outdoor classroom in action with students learning about cooking a kale salad with strawberries (both grown right there in the school garden!)  

Recently, Philips Academy’s amazing work has even attracted the attention of the first lady.

I was really impressed with how their approach to healthy living is integrated into the whole learning experience. They seamlessly weave information into all areas of the curriculum - from using fractions and talking about measuring ingredients, to art with textiles dyed from natural ingredients, and so on. You can learn more about their program here. 

It's an uphill journey to reform student health, eating and lunches, but so necessary. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years, and as such youth are suffering from a variety of alarming health concerns from sleep apnea to prediabetes. Schools are an excellent place for children to learn and practice healthy behaviors, and we are thrilled to see Philip’s Academy’s innovative approach gaining national attention.