Welcome to HBHM23 - a Hybrid Conference

About The Institute

Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Institute ("HBHM" or "The Institute") is an annual conference designed to nurture the interdisciplinary roles of educators, administrators, and researchers in fostering school environments that promote wellness as a core component of school culture, student achievement, and student, staff, and community well-being.  

2023 Date, Location, and Theme 

Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds conference is scheduled for August 1, 2023 and will focus on Building relationships for healthy, equitable and engaging experiences for the school community.   This year’s event will be hybrid, providing both an in-person and virtual experience.   The site for the in-person event is Montgomery County Community College, Pottstown Campus.  The conference is free to attend and professional development credit for PA educators will be provided. 

Conference Tracks

• Community Connections

• Equity  

• Trauma Informed Practices  

• Nutrition and Physical Activity

• School Wellness Checklist Implementation

Track Descriptions

Presentations will promote best practices in the following areas:

• Community Connections - School and community partnerships are essential for helping students achieve at their maximum potential.  Presentations will demonstrate how schools offer a platform for partnerships with other public agencies and organizations to engage students, staff, and families in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways to actively support youth development and learning.  

• Equity – Approaching school wellness with an equity lens means that providing an education while also addressing the health needs of all students ensures equitable access to resources and rigor,  supports for  healthy  learning environments for students and staff, and ensures the school community is supported in a way that honors everyone's unique identities and needs while promoting diversity of thought and encouraging collaboration.

• Trauma Informed Practices -  A trauma-informed school system (K-12) is one in which all teachers, school administrators, staff, students, families, and community members recognize and respond to the behavioral, emotional, relational, and academic impact of traumatic stress on those within the school system. Attendees should expect to learn best practices that build the capacity of educators, parents, and community practitioners to implement and sustain system-wide, trauma-informed support for all students.  

• Nutrition and Physical Activity  - Eating a nutricious, balanced diet and being physically active are two of the most important things one can do to be and stay healthy at any age.   Presentations in this track will address food access and security for students, integrate practices to nurture and integrate physical activity into learning strategies and provide knowledge and best practices for healthy living, healthy eating, and the promotion of evidence-based practices to integrate nutrition and physical activity as core components of a healthy lifestyle for students and school staff.

• School Wellness Checklist © Implementation - The School Wellness Checklist© is a research-based tool utilized by schools across the country as a guide to self-select and implement effective wellness activities and strategies each school  year.  Presentations will demonstrate how school leadership, communities partners, and other actors across the school community leverage recommended policies, programs, and activities across the seven core components of the Checklist (Wellness infrastructure, Nutrition,  Physical Activity, Social-Emotional Wellness, Wellness Culture, Staff Wellness, Sustainability ) to ultimately impact student health and academic performance.

Meet the Sponsor

Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Institute is sponsored by the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation.  The Foundation is a community nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhances the health and wellness of area residents, providing education, funding, and programs that provide equitable access and inclusive opportunities for all residents to adopt healthy lifestyles.

The Foundation awards grants to area nonprofit organizations which use their resources and services to develop and enhance programs that support our purpose of promoting health and wellness. Grant awards are based on four key priority areas which include improvement in healthy behaviors through schools.

Since 2004, more than $12 million has been awarded to the public and private schools within the Foundation’s service area. In short, the Foundation’s role is to help area residents improve their health and well-being every day. By doing so, we are creating a more dynamic and more vibrant community in which to live now... and into the future.

Contact Us

Please direct any questions to our contact us form, and a member of the event team will respond accordingly.  

Acknowledgements

The 2023 Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Institute could not be made possible without the following individuals and organizations.  

Venue Sponsor

• Montgomery County Community College

Planning Team 

• • • Amy Auwaerter - Montgomery County Community College

    • Amy Diegelman - Pottsgrove School District

    • Ashley Griffith - Daniel Boone Area School District

    • Emmanuel Toussaint - Owen J. Roberts School District 

    • Howard Brown - Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation

    • Janet Zeis - Pottstown Hospital Tower Health

    • Josh Hoyt, Ed.D. - JBCA Consulting, LLC 

    • Kori Wilson - Pottstown School District

    • Lucie Bergeyova  - Boyertown Area School District

    • Rev. Martha Lester Harris - Fizika Group, LLC

    • Maclain Gutkin - Medical University of South Carolina

    • Magie Young - Medical University of South Carolina

    • Sarah Piwinski - Medical University of South Carolina

Session Monitors and Notable Contributors

• Chris Wierzbowski

• Craig Colistra 

• Heather Bloodworth

• Jill Kauffman

• Joelle Oswald 

• John Robertson

• Mike Jamgochian

• Nichole Kang

• Rose Walters

• Sabree Astillero

• Sheri Waldman