| ARLINGTON, Texas – Student teams from six elementary and high schools across the Arlington and Fort Worth ISDs have been awarded a combined $30,000 through the 2026 Wellness Innovation Grants program to support campus well-being initiatives. Now in its seventh year, the program – sponsored by Texas Health and underwritten by the Fort Worth-based R4 Foundation – supports student-driven efforts to improve health and wellness across their campuses. This year, 14 student teams submitted ideas to a panel of community leaders. Six teams advanced to the final round and presented their proposals to a team of judges representing Texas Health, R4 Foundation, the Texas Health Resources Foundation and other community and school leaders. “Year after year, these students impress us with their commitment to improving their schools and their own personal well-being,” said Bret Helmer, R4 Foundation president. “They are our future, and it is clear from the competition that our future is in good hands.” This year’s contest provided $5,000 grants to all six finalists. The winners are: • Bowie High School (Arlington ISD): Students at Bowie High School plan to revitalize the school’s Legacy and Wellness Courtyards to create spaces where fellow students can relax, reflect and recharge. Grant funds will be used to purchase outdoor seating, landscaping materials, raised gardening beds, plants and maintenance supplies. The improved courtyards also can be reserved by faculty for instruction and by clubs and groups for after-school activities. • Cesar Chavez Elementary (Fort Worth ISD): The school’s relatively new girls softball team proposed investing in equipment that would enable the players to flourish while also providing the community with a space to be active outdoors. Funds will go toward additional softball equipment, hydration supplies and a permanent backstop that will make the playing field safer and more adaptable for other uses. As many students lack access to organized sports outside of school, they and their families also can utilize the space and benefit from the improvements. • Crow Leadership Academy (Arlington ISD): Crow’s Earthly Explorers garden club wants to share the benefits of gardening and nature with fellow students through a Wellness Labyrinth. The labyrinth will be more of a maze than a walking path, with tall grasses, outdoor musical instruments and plants that can be touched and examined along the way. While the labyrinth will support outdoor instruction, its main purpose will be to provide a space where students can take a mental break and be more focused on learning. • Leadership Academy at Mitchell Boulevard (Fort Worth ISD): Thanks to a team of students from the academy’s after-school program, a new Peace Lab will soon offer a space to reflect, recharge and reset the mind and body. More than a space to sit still and be quiet, the brain-based room will feature different areas for different needs, each designed to help students handle big feelings in a positive way: a Breathe Zone, a Move Zone, a Create Zone, a Sensory Zone and a Reflect & Return Zone. Grant funds will support seating, equipment, lighting, and sensory and creative tools for the lab. • Rankin Elementary (Arlington ISD): The school’s student council leaders initiated the effort to create a Rankin Recharge Room. Funding will pay for seating, sensory and regulation tools, reflection materials, and wellness resources for staff. The room won’t just be a space to hang out. While there, students will gain learning skills for managing stress, emotions and challenges, so they can do their best work in the classroom. Teachers will also have access to the room for relaxation. • South Davis Elementary (Arlington ISD): Soon, more South Davis students will be “Running with the Bulldogs,” thanks to grant funds. The school’s new running club wants to improve its speed and safety with a flat, clear running path around South Davis. The grant will go toward clearing their current makeshift track through the trees and level it with crushed gravel and sand. Funds will also be used for pedometers, running shoes, team T-shirts and running awards to motivate even more students to join the club and stay active. The Wellness Innovation Grant program is an initiative of Texas Health Community Hope, the health system’s unique approach to promoting healthier futures through a broad range of impactful initiatives, investments and collaborations. “When we can get students engaged in making healthy choices at a young age, we set them up for a lifetime of well-being,” said Matt Dufrene, vice president of Community Partnerships, Ambulatory and Virtual Channel at Texas Health. “We look forward to seeing these ideas come to life on area campuses, knowing that the impact of these students’ efforts will be felt for years to come.” The Wellness Innovation Grants were first awarded during the 2019-2020 school year. Since then, they have provided more than $175,00 in support to Tarrant County schools. The grant program is just one way Texas Health is supporting health and well-being in schools. Other Texas Health Community Hope initiatives that promote wellness for students and their families include: book fairs and literacy events; access to healthy foods and nutrition education; after school and physical activities; support for learning gardens; and resources through the Texas Health School Wellness Network. |
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