Healthy Hearts

The Waukee Community Schools Foundation is excited to announce a new grant focused on wellness at Waukee Middle School. A team of educators piloted a program during the 2021-22 school year using Polar Heart Rate Sensors to support physical, social, and emotional wellness. The sensors were used by students throughout the day to drive deeper knowledge of how to use the information their bodies give them to enhance their overall wellbeing.

The new Foundation grant provided 80 additional Polar GoFit Heart Sensors to expand the program to all WMS students for the 2022-23 school year and beyond. Since the start of the school year, teachers have worked to implement the heart sensors in their daily physical education practice. Over 1,000 students at WMS now know how to use a heart sensor and are learning how to achieve a healthy heart zone during exercise.

“We believe the sensors are an essential tool to help keep our class environment efficient. The sensors provide real-time data to not only help guide students into healthy heart zones, but to also help teachers accurately assess student productivity and fitness,” said Heidi Morse, Physical Education teacher at Waukee Middle School. “We want to thank the Foundation for granting us the sensors. We could not have done this without the support of the Foundation, as well as support from our building administration,” she said.

Foundation Executive Director Adrianne Towe said she is thrilled to hear of the progress and impact. “We are here for the big ideas and we are honored to be a connector of resources to these ideas. Teachers deserve work that gives them life and students deserve experiences and mentors who teach them to dig into themselves,” Towe said.

The Foundation is a nonprofit partner of the Waukee Community School District providing support and funds in three priority outcome areas to the district: innovation, wellness, and sense of belonging. We are thrilled to parter with Waukee Middle School on this wellness effort!