The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Coordinated School Health Team is excited to announce the launch of the School Health Webinar Series, presented in partnership with the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). This series is designed for Maine school health professionals, pediatricians, school health advisors, and others working to support student health and well-being.
This asynchronous educational series begins on December 1, 2025, with a new installment released each month through April of 2026. All sessions and materials can be viewed at the participant’s convenience and will remain available as enduring content through December of 2028. Up to five Continuing Medical Education (CME)/Continuing Education (CE) credits are available—one per session. Sessions include:
The Digital Dilemma: Supporting Youth Mental Health in an AI-Driven World
Supporting Self-Management in Diabetes
Tuberculosis 101
School Vaccine Requirements: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Implement Them in Challenging Times
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges, Strengths, and Strategies in the Educational Setting
For more information, including learning objectives for each session, please visit this link. With further questions, please contact Maine DOE School Nurse Consultant Emily Poland at Emily.Poland@maine.gov.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Program is pleased to be hosting the 2026 Maine School Winter Wellness Summit on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. This year’s theme is, “Finding Strength Through Hope.”
This event aims to educate, inspire, and empower participants. When adults working in a school district have positive attitudes and feel healthy and well, it enhances their ability to do their jobs. This is true for all roles within a school administrative unit (SAU)—including all central office employees, nutrition and transportation workers, educators, health service providers, administrative assistants, school board members, and any others who perform the day-to-day functions that help a school to operate and fulfill its mission for the students and adults within the school community.
As such, the 2026 Winter Wellness Summit is open to all school- and district-wide teams, individuals, and community members who are interested in and support the health and well-being of school employees, students, and the environments where they work, learn, and thrive. School employees from across the state are invited to register and join their colleagues at this event.
Highlights of the 2026 Winter Wellness Summit include:
Two educational and inspirational keynotes focused on hope and resilience through self-care.
Plenary sessions on building skills for successful wellness programs.
Engaging workshops on strategies for personal wellness and positive school environments.
Interactive and immersive wellness activities, exhibits, and sharing opportunities.
Wellness-focused networking opportunities.
These strategies and tools can be applied to both individual health routines and broader, school-wide wellness programs. Research indicates that workplace health promotion programs have demonstrated success in improving productivity, lowering absenteeism, and enhancing overall school climate and culture. In a school environment, this directly fosters healthier, safer, and more supportive settings where both students and staff can excel.
Past attendees have shared the following testimonials:
“The Wellness Summit is a great opportunity for your staff. It offers activities and information that can be immediately shared with teams and the full building staff. It is an incredible opportunity for personal goals and learning, as well as team goals and learning… The summit highlights and emphasizes the need for wellness and self-care that is often overlooked as we take care of others. There are amazing strategies and opportunities presented, practiced, and shared. [It’s] one of my favorite conferences!”
“This was my first Wellness Summit, and truthfully, I cannot wait for next year! From the upbeat positive atmosphere to the organizing team, the hotel, the activities—there was something for everyone. I took away so many great ideas, and after discussing with the other people who attended, we all had different experiences to share, which was incredible. The keynote speakers were captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed how we were interactive with other people from around the state. It was nice to make connections and hear about all the different tips, tricks, and tools other districts use to implement wellness.”
“I have never attended a wellness summit before but will not miss any in the future. I learned so much about ways to keep myself healthy and left with several great ideas to bring back to our staff and students. It was one of the most energizing, joy-filled experiences I’ve ever had in my educational career!”
Registration information, including pricing for the two-day event—which includes five meals—is available on the new 2026 Winter Wellness Summit website, where you’ll also find a full agenda, lodging options, and a link to a scholarship application. Please note that accommodation is the responsibility of individuals or groups; however, a block of rooms has been secured at an excellent rate, with limited suites added this year.
With questions and for further information, please contact Maine DOE Health Education and Health Promotion Consultant Susan Berry at susan.berry@maine.gov or Maine DOE School Nurse Regional Liaison Angie Buker at angie.buker@maine.gov.
The Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Program is part of the Maine DOE Office of School and Student Supports.
At Pond Cove Elementary School in the Cape Elizabeth School Department, students gain more than just academic knowledge; they’re learning essential tools to support their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Pond Cove is one of the few elementary schools in Maine with a certified health educator leading a comprehensive Health and Wellness program.
Heather Kennedy, K-4 Health and Wellness teacher at Pond Cove Elementary School, is deeply committed to fostering the whole health of young learners. Kennedy has designed and is implementing a K-4 Health and Wellness curriculum that blends health content, mindfulness, The Regulated Classroom framework, and Yoga 4 Classrooms strategies.
“All students participate in structured or unstructured physical movement as part of every health lesson,” Kennedy explained. “I intentionally designed the Movement on Mats program to help expand students’ whole-body learning, including the practice of self-regulation and stress release.”
A movement on mats classroom set up.
For younger learners who may not yet have the words to express their stress, movement becomes a powerful tool. Through physical activity, focused breathing, and body control, students build body awareness, emotional resilience, and leadership skills. These activities help them to enter classroom learning with greater focus and engagement.
Kennedy explains that her curriculum “makes it possible for students to practice physical movement in the space constraints of a typical classroom.” Kennedy added that most movement practice takes place right in her health classroom, with desks and wobble stools still in place.
While the physical benefits for students are visible, Kennedy says the most impactful part of her work is what she calls the “hidden work” of co-regulation.
“Within each lesson, I aim to co-create a balanced environment using precise language while modeling behaviors and responses,” she said. “By far, the most beneficial impact of what I do is in the hidden work of co-regulating students’ nervous systems to be in their parasympathetic branch. To foster each learner’s sense of belonging, calm, and safety, I must take the lead by being in a regulated state—no matter how challenging the situation.”
This intentional approach helps students to feel safe, grounded, and ready to learn—skills they can carry far beyond the classroom.
Here is what a few of Kennedy’s students had to say:
“Having Health and Wellness lessons at Pond Cove Elementary School has helped my wellness by teaching me about what would be a ‘once in a while’ choice and what is a ‘healthy, everyday’ choice,” fourth-grade student Levi B. said.
“Being healthy benefits you for your whole life!” fourth-grade student Henry F. said.
“All the areas of health that make up wellness, like physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and family, have been put into my brain. All of it together makes it one strong idea of what wellness is. It helps me be more careful with my body, my brain, and my choices,” fourth-grade student Winnie W. said.
“Health is like a really good friend. If you don’t have one, your happiness can go down,” fourth-grade student Chaz S. said.
“Learning about 5-2-1-0 helps me to be my ‘healthy self’ in health and everywhere else!” second-grade student Robin B. said.
“I like 5-2-1-0 because it keeps me healthy and happy!” second-grade student Hazel W-H. said.
Kennedy said she hopes that the Pond Cove’s curriculum is a model that could inspire other districts to bring health education and wellness more fully into their elementary schools.
By embedding movement, mindfulness, and emotional regulation into everyday instruction, Kennedy is helping students to build strong foundations for lifelong health—and demonstrating the powerful role that dedicated health education can play in the early grades.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) celebrates the work happening at Pond Cove and encourages other districts to explore how a dedicated elementary-level Health and Wellness curriculum can support the whole child.
This story was written in collaboration with Pond Cove Elementary School.To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.
Five educators have been named 2024 Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (Maine AHPERD) Teachers of the Year. This award recognizes outstanding health education, physical education, and adapted physical education teachers who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to their students and profession.
This year’s Maine AHPERD Teachers of the Year include:
Deb Draper, Freeport High School, High School PE
Michele Crawford, Mt. Ararat Middle School (Topsham), Middle School PE
Bethany Fox, Thomas J. McMahon Elementary School (Lewiston), Elementary PE
Lizz Theriault, Ashland District School, High School Health ED
Yvonne Perry, Nokomis Regional Middle School (Newport), , Middle School Health ED
In addition to Teachers of the Year, Maine APHERD also recognizes individuals and a community partner organization who serve as strong supporters of the Maine APHERD mission. For 2024, they include:
Kayla McGee, Worthy of Praise
Dr. Rose Marie Angell, Distinguished Leadership
Eric Driscoll, Recreation Professional
Hills Recovery Center, Community Award
Katie Brooks, Dance Professional
Additionally, Maine APHERD has recognized eight students hailing from seven Maine institutes of higher education as 2024 Outstanding Future Professionals in health and physical education:
Megan Dionne – University of Maine, Farmington
Emily Factor – University of New England
Samantha Fickett – University of New England
Olivia Gray – University of Maine, Presque Isle
Alexa Peck – University of Maine, Orono
Courtney Peltak – University of New England
Hannah Richardson – University of New England
Jobet Tardiff – Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
Pictured from left to right: Alexa Peck, Jobet Tardiff, Courtney Peltak, Jamie Dillon (Maine AHPERD President), Samantha Fickett, Megan Dionne, Hannah Richardson. (Absent from photograph: Emily Factor and Olivia Gray.)
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of School and Student Supports’ Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Program is pleased to offer the 2025 Maine School Winter Wellness Summit: “Nourishing the Body, Mind, and Soul.” School employees from across the state are invited to join their colleagues and register for this event being held on Thursday, January 30 and Friday, January 31 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.
This event is open to individuals and school teams interested in supporting and implementing a school health promotion and wellness program that will positively impact staff and students. The Winter Wellness Summit is designed to renew and refresh school personnel mid-year by providing access to information, resources, and experiences that will inspire and empower participants to take care of their personal health – and to create healthier, more supportive, and safer school environments for all within the school community.
When school and district employees have positive attitudes and feel healthy, it enhances their ability to do their jobs. This is true for all employees, including central office employees, nutrition and transportation staff, educators, health service providers, administrative assistants, school board members, and all others who perform the day-to-day essential functions that help a school to operate and successfully fulfill its mission.
Susan Berry, Health Education and Health Promotion Specialist for the Maine Department of Education (DOE), was recently honored at the All-Member (virtual) Annual Meeting of the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education (the Society) on March 26, 2024, when she was presented the Simon McNeely Award. Individuals named for this award are those who embody the character and work ethic of Simon (Si) August McNeely, who served as the Society’s executive director, secretary and treasurer for 51 years (1947-1998).
Berry is a long-time Maine DOE employee and has always desired to work in an environment that values people, health, and quality of life. She values serving people in a capacity that will have a positive and lasting impact on the health and well-being of the population, improving the quality of life. Some of the highlights in her long career:
collaborating with school health and physical education teachers to revise and then create supporting resources for the 2022 Maine Learning Results standards for health education and physical education
helping to develop resources and training for child sexual abuse, including the Children’s Safety Partnership website
participating in the development and passage of legislation to increase suicide awareness and prevention among all school personnel in Maine public schools
Leading the Maine Schoolsite Wellness committee in facilitating a dynamic yearly wellness summit
As a specialist in school health education curriculum development, instruction, and assessment, she has over 30 years’ experience in schoolsite health promotion and wellness program planning and implementation.
Susan was humbled and surprised to receive the award as she holds the recipients of this award in the highest regard. She will be presented the McNeely award at the American School Health Association Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 16-18, 2024. Colleagues at the Maine DOE are proud of Susan’s achievement and recognition.
“What I appreciate most about Susan is how she navigates change and offers her unending support as ‘supposedly’ new ideas surface when she has already drafted policy language or facilitated a workshop on such an idea,” said Maine DOE Director of Office of School and Student Supports Julie Smyth. “She is the first to lend a helping hand, to be a thought partner, or to share ideas. Susan’s connections to national and statewide resources also speak to her impact. I have come across many respected individuals in the field of education, but the respect accorded to Susan from teachers, administrators, community-based organizations, and leaders is pretty much unrivaled.”
From all of us at the Maine DOE Congratulations, Susan!
More about the Simon McNeely Award:
Si, a Louisiana native, graduated from Tulane University with a master’s in education. He served in the Navy during World War II. In 1947, at 33 years of age, he moved to the Washington DC area to work as an academic researcher for the Office of Education (predecessor of the U.S. Department of Education) where he contributed to research in recreation and physical education. He was the author of six books on physical education and fitness (e.g., Physical Education in the School Child’s Day, 1950). Si McNeely served as the federal-state relations director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1961 to 1970 and as a member of the U.S. and International Olympic Committees. He was a founder of the U.S. Olympic academies and was a U.S. representative to UNESCO.
This award is given by the Society to state leaders who demonstrate outstanding teaching and service in Health, Physical Education, Recreation or Dance (HPERD), demonstrate innovations HPERD through teaching and service, are a current member of SHAPE or a professional organization pertaining to the field; have presented or actively participated in local, county or regional workshops and conferences in the past three years, are actively involved in school and community affairs and problems related to HPERD, and have a minimum of 5 years professional experience in HPERD field.
(Jannet Harjula and Nancy Duguay serve lunch to St. George Municipal School kindergarten Students.)
Jannet Harjula started her education journey as the owner of a local daycare more than 30 years ago. Like so many educators, Harjula found herself drawn back to education after selling her business. She started substitute teaching at St. George School. It wasn’t long before she transitioned to school nutrition, where she has been since 2014, first as a food service assistant and now as the food service director.
Harjula starts her day bright and early at 6:30 in the morning with her right-hand woman, Food Service Assistant Nancy Duguay. Harjula jokes while carefully layering sausage on a sheet pan in preparation for lunch and breakfast sandwiches. Duguay and her counterpart, Dawn Gauthier, worked for Harjula at her former business. “We come in at 6:30 every morning. Nancy starts breakfast, and I start prepping for lunch. Dawn comes in after breakfast,” says Harjula.
The St. George kitchen sits behind the cafeteria, adjacent to the school gymnasium and music room. In the first hours of the morning, the sun filters through the cafeteria windows, illuminating a mural of animated fruits and vegetables dancing up the walls and a certificate of excellence celebrating Harjula and her team’s perfect score on their recent state inspection.
Duguay serving students cereal during breakfast.
Students start arriving around 7:30, giving Duguay about an hour to set everything up. Breakfast prep starts with washing fruit; today, it’s apples. Duguay runs hot water into an empty silver sink, so clean she can see her reflection as she washes each apple and places them carefully into a giant metal colander.
After filling her cart with orange juice, granola bars, and milk, Duguay heads to the cafeteria to meet the morning’s first students. “We have the best kids,” she beams as she greets each child by name and asks them about their weekend.
After breakfast, everyone pitches in to keep the dishes down and the kitchen clean. Gauthier arrives just as the last breakfast bowls are packed away. As the students start their day, data from their “crew” or homeroom teachers starts pouring into a shared spreadsheet created by St. George Technology Director Paul Meinersmann. “Before Paul, we had to do this all on paper,” said Harjula. “Someone had to bring the information down to us, or we had to go get it.”
With this data, Harjula and her crew know how much each lunch option needs to be made. “Every day, we [also] offer students a sandwich or salad, so they don’t just have to choose the hot lunch option,” she says.
At this point, the kitchen is a perfectly choreographed routine. Harjula starts putting together the breakfast sandwiches she made for today’s lunch in shiny tinfoil. To her right, Gauthier masterfully constructs sandwiches, layering ingredients while Duguay chops vegetables and portions each chef’s salads. As the women move around each other with the grace of familiarity, it is so much like watching a dance that one almost misses all that is being done. They make nearly 200 meals, keep every counter spotless, and never forget to wear the right gloves or wash their hands.
Between prepping for lunch, Harjula lays out the ins and outs of her job. “You have to keep things balanced,” she says about planning nutritious meals. “For some of these kids, this is the most nutritious food they eat. A lot of them aren’t getting healthy foods at home.” Harjula goes on to explain how she and Duguay sit down each month to plan meals, brainstorming on how to use the ingredients they already have in stock to build nutritious “colorful” meals.
Maine was one of the first states to provide universal meals to all students. This ensures that every child has access to nutritious food without stigma and so that they are prepared to learn and thrive in school.
It is thanks to school nutrition workers like Harjula and Duguay that Maine has the second most nutritious school meals in the country, according to ProCare Therapy. However, when it comes to the student’s preferences nutrition isn’t always their priority. “Pizza days are our most popular,” Harjula jokes with Duguay, who laughs and says, “We always have to make extra.” Most students don’t even know that Harjula makes sure their donuts are whole grain or that their pizza sauce is full of healthy vegetables.
From 10:30 – 1:00, Harjula and Duguay serve lunch to students from Pre-K all the way up to eighth grade. No matter their age, the students light up when they talk to Harjula. “The kids respect her, and you see that when they’re in line or putting their trays away, saying thank you all the time,” said Ashley Gill, St. George’s athletic director, as well as physical education and health teacher. “She’s very good to me and to a lot of people [at St. George].” St George students are just as excited to sing Harjula’s praises. “Jannet’s really sweet and funny,” said fifth grader Elena. Her friend Lilly chimes in, commenting, “she makes great food.”
In between each lunch, Harjula resets the dishes, Duguay cleans the cafeteria, and Gauthier takes care of the trash, recycling, and compost. In the blink of an eye, four sets of lunches have been served, every table and chair wiped down and stacked away, and, of course, Harjula’s kitchen is still spotless.
School Lunch Hero Day is organized by The School Nutrition Association.
With every student fed, Harjula can sit down for the first time in eight hours. The three nutrition workers sit together in the cafeteria to finish up the day’s paperwork. “We have to do a production report, which is what this is,” Duguay gestures to a sheet in front of her. “So we have to keep track of everything that we serve, how much we make, how much we have left, and how much we actually serve.” The team has been putting data into the system Meinersmann created throughout the day. Now, Duguay will use that data for her production report which Gauthier will use to create a daily summary report. Around 2:30, the day is done for everyone except Gauthier, who is the middle school softball coach, though Harjula and Duguay will often stay to finish work like meal prepping or large food orders. Talking about a day in the life of a food service director, Harjula keeps it concise: “It’s long, but we’ve got such great kids.”
May 3th, 2024 is School Lunch Hero Day! Make sure to celebrate the School Nutrition Workers in your school for the hard work they put in to ensure that every Maine student has nutritious, reliable meals at school. Click here for ideas on how you can show your appreciation!
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) jointly released the 2023 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS) results on Friday, December 15, 2023. The MIYHS data provides schools with up-to-date trends around health behaviors and experiences for Maine middle school and high school students. Results of the survey also give educators an important snapshot of adolescent well-being connected to key health topics.
Maine schools play a critical role in shaping mental, physical, and social growth among our youth. The MIYHS results highlight an increasing need for quality, comprehensive health education and the implementation of proven strategies to educate the whole child. Questions on the survey address behaviors connected to substance use, nutrition, physical activity, sexual behavior, health status, and protective factors, to name a few. The MIYHS highlights trending topics in the areas of mental health, suicide ideation, depression, specific health conditions (diabetes, asthma, obesity), housing stability, and school connectedness.
Building on our understanding of young people’s environments can only expand our opportunities to improve the world around them. The MIYHS results serve as a mechanism to help guide our work in education, to provide resources for students around healthy decision-making, and to deliver tools to young people for the navigation of their pre-teen and teenage years. In 2023, 77% of high schoolers reported having a connection to a teacher who cares about them and supports them (up from 73% in 2021). Maine high schools can utilize this data to make connections with their students and provide programming to connect with a higher percentage of students. Additionally, vaping use decreased significantly with students who indicated they had vaped at least one time (29% in 2021 to 16% in 2023). The messaging being shared around the dangers of vaping is growing and could impact strategies for the reduction of other harmful behaviors.
Findings from the MIYHS data continue to expose concern for marginalized populations (gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity). Students continue to experience varying levels of trauma and distress with substance use and abuse, mental health, access to essential services, and protective factors. An understanding of what Maine students encounter in their daily lives can assist adults in furnishing the resources necessary to improve all areas of health and wellness for young people.
Sources of Strength A student-led school culture program that brings together trained adult advisors and peer leaders to create campaigns for the school community that focus on positive, uplifting and hopeful messaging.
Mental Health Promotion Toolkit These materials provide information on mental health promotion, tips for addressing health disparities, and roadmaps for implementing innovative strategies to improve mental health and substance use prevention efforts in schools. For more information about the Maine Pediatric and Behavioral Health Partnership Program, please call 1-833-MPBHP11 (1-833-672-4711) or contact Melissa Maurais at Maurais@maine.gov
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is hosting its third training opportunity focused on learning around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), and the impact that increasing understanding of DEIJ can have on teaching practices, instructional strategies, and classroom management in every discipline area.
Think about the following:
Have you looked at your curriculum and teaching practices with a lens of inclusion?
Are your materials representative of all students and their families?
Are your practices and use of language inclusive of all students and families?
Is there any evidence of diversity, inclusion, equity and justice?
If you answered not sure or no to any of the questions, this training is a great place to start. The 2-day interactive training will focus on understanding foundational concepts in DEIJ, along with reviewing a process to conduct a deep dive into curriculum, instructional strategies, and classroom management processes. Following the 2-day training, we will hold Community of Practice virtual sessions during the school year to reflect on DEIJ implementation in your classroom. Access to technical assistance from our trainers and Maine DOE specialists will also be available during this time.
Dr. Sarah Benes (she, her, hers) will return to lead the training and is our consultant for this initiative. Sarah is an assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University in health education and physical education. In addition, she is the co-owner of Lighthouse Wellness & Health Education Consulting and the current president of SHAPE America. We are also pleased to have a cadre of Maine physical education and health education teacher leaders co-training for the workshop.
Event Details:
Capital Area Technical Center, Augusta
Wednesday, February 7, and Thursday, February 8
8:00 am-3:00 pm each day
The fee for this training is ONLY $50 (the fee assists with the cost of food). All other expenses are covered by the Maine DOE.
Financial Assistance: There are five-$150 scholarships available to help with substitute pay, mileage and lodging to support attendance. The form to apply for a scholarship is here.
By mid-school year school personnel are ready for a pick me up that provides information, experiences, resources, and tools to care for one’s self and others. The Maine Department of Education, Office of School and Student Supports, Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Program is pleased to be able to offer the 2024 Maine School Winter Wellness Summit, Give Roots to Wellness! School leaders and employees from across the State are invited to register for this event.
Thursday, January 25 and Friday, January 26
The Samoset Resort in Rockport
This event is open to individuals and teams in schools interested in worksite health promotion and wellness as well as community members supporting schools.
The goal of the Winter Wellness Summit is to inspire and empower participants to take care of their personal health, and to create healthier, more supportive, and safer school environments for all. The Summit agenda supports the promotion of health improvement to enhance well-being and academic achievement.
This year’s agenda includes three educational and inspirational keynote presentations, engaging workshops on personal wellness practices and positive and healthier school environments, worksite wellness program planning, and network opportunities with colleagues and professionals from across the State who value health promotion and wellness.
The cost of the two-day event is $150/person for early bird (through December 22nd) and $175/person for standard registration (after December 22nd) inclusive of five meals. Accommodations are on your own, but we have secured a block of rooms at an excellent rate below the State per diem rates! All the details can be found on the Winter Wellness Summit webpage.
Maine DOE Newsroom 