Health Exploration Station

Summer 2007 Camp Information

Amazing Me! Summer Day Camp
For Students completing 2nd – 4th grades in June 2008

This week-long summer day camp focuses on the human body and how to keep it healthy. Campers will have fun and make friends while participating in hands-on and engaging demonstrations, dissections, games, crafts, activities and more!

Dates: August 4 - 8, 2008
Time: 9:30am - 4:00pm
Cost: $169.00.
Register: 734-398-7518
Location: Saint Joseph Mercy Canton Health Center, 1600 S. Canton Center Road, Canton

Surviving Mean Girls 6-9 years old
Surviving Mean Kid Boot Camp - Boys 6-9 years old, Girls 11-14

Girls/Boys will learn how to handle mean kid situations and bullying using curriculum that Girls Empowered has developed & is teaching to kids, teachers, & parents nationally. Kids learn to identify mean kid behavior, and what it looks like to be a bully, be mean, be a bystander, a doormat and to stand up for yourself & others. Kids will learn why making good choices helps them become powerful kids & making choices to be mean or let others walk all over you takes away their power. Camp includes role-plays, interactive discussions, crafts, & daily fitness activity.

Dates: : July 14-18, 2008
Time: Boys 6-9 9:00am – 12:00 noon
Time: Girls 6-9 12:30pm – 3:00pm (separate from 10-14)
Time: Girls 10-14 12:30pm – 3:00pm (separate from 6-9)
Cost: $150.00.
Register: 734-398-7518 or at: www.sjmercyhealth.org
Location: Saint Joseph Mercy Canton Health Center, 1600 S. Canton Center Road, Canton

Get Ready for Middle School for Boys and Girls going into Middle School

Going to Middle School is one of the biggest transitional periods for kids. This can be an exciting new adventure and/or an emotionally challenging time. This camp will help your kid prepare for changes in friendships, their bodies, and nutritional needs. They will learn how to get involved, meet new people, manage stress, and be organized. This camp will help your daughter or son prepare for the social scene in middle school. This camp includes 2 crafts and a daily fitness activity.

Dates: : Aug 18 – 22, 2008
Time: Girls 9:00am – 12:00 noon
Time: Boys 12:30pm – 3:00pm
Cost: $150.00.
Register: 734-398-7518 or at: www.sjmercyhealth.org
Location: Saint Joseph Mercy Canton Health Center, 1600 S. Canton Center Road, Canton

HES Receives it's 100,000 Visitor!

Cheers were deafening as 84 classmates cheered when Edward Ramos was announced The 100,000th visitor at the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station on Friday May 13th. The students, from Field Elementary School in Canton braved the cool weather and cloudy skies to ride their bicycles 2-1/2 miles to celebrate this community milestone.

After parking their bicycles and removing their helmets, the students filed into the St. Joseph Mercy building one by one and were counted as they entered the community room. Edward was shocked when The 100,000th Visitor turned out to be him. His classmates blew horns, waved balloons, clapped and cheered. Edward came up to the front of the room, where he received a one-of-a-kind Health Exploration Station t-shirt, with THE 100,000th VISITOR printed on the back. “I was so surprised, I didn’t expect it to be me,” said Edward. Edward then had the honor of being the first person to sign the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station 100,000th Visitor banner. When the event is over the banner will hang inside the Health Exploration Station Exhibit gallery for years to come.

“We are excited to be celebrating this momentous occasion,” said Cheryl Phillips, coordinator of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station. “The Health Exploration Station is such a wonderful resource for teachers. Reaching this milestone demonstrates that this resource is utilized and valued by the community.”

After the initial celebration the students were taken into the Health Exploration Station to receive the program “How Your Body Works.” During the program, they used a giant spinning wheel to match up body system names with the organs that match the system. They also reviewed the importance of keeping all systems healthy. One demonstration included real pig lungs that inflated. The first set demonstrated healthy lungs and another set demonstrated the damage that smoking can do the respiratory system. “This is an effective demonstration,” noted Gretchen Nachazel, the health educator teaching the program. “To actually see the damage that cigarette smoke does to lungs, has an impact on the participants.” Students then explored in the Exhibit gallery where they crawled through a giant digestive system, walked into a huge rib cage and tested their muscle endurance.

The celebration didn’t end there. After the program the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station treated the students to lunch. Joining in the celebration were Senator Bruce Patterson, Superintendent James Ryan, Director of Instruction Barb Church, and representatives from Senator Carl Levin and Representative Thaddeus McCotter’s offices. During lunch Edward received a plaque congratulating him on being the 100,000th visitor, he also a certificate of recognition from Representative McCotter’s office. In addition, Kurt Tyszkiewicz, principal of Field Elementary School and Rick Plecha, the Field Elementary teacher who organized the fieldtrip were presented with a plaque congratulating Field Elementary School on bringing The 100,000th Visitor to the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station.

“An effective education is based on partnerships,” said teacher Rick Plecha, “Parent and school are critical. But for a school to deliver meaningful instruction, students must see the relevance between classroom learning and their experiences outside the classroom. The educational services, at the Health Exploration Station, allow students the opportunity to make connections from their classroom learning to the outside world. And it allows them to validate their classroom learning in a completely new context. The Canton Educational Community is fortunate to have the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station as a learning resource in our community”.

And with that, students jumped back on their bicycles and pedaled furiously to get back to school before the rain. And in terms of next year, “we’ll definitely be back” said Rick.

Health Exploration Station Celebrates 5th Birthday

The Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station will be celebrating is 5th birthday on January 27th, 2005. The public is welcomed to come for birthday cake, a tour of the exhibit gallery and a free gift. Hours of the party are 10am -8pm. No reservations are needed.

Health Educator Receives Award

Health Educator Receives National Award Congratulations goes to Cheryl McInerney, Coordinator of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station, received the 2004 Outstanding Health Educator Award from the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC) at the NAHEC annual conference September 1, 2004.

The award is given annually to recognize and encourage outstanding accomplishments in health education. Nominees are judged six criteria:

Their genuine love for health education

Their continued professional growth

Their ability to relate well to students

Their ability to use a variety of instructional techniques

Their ability to be well prepared and well-informed

And their consistent encouraging of good decision-making with regard to health education

"This is quite an honor," says Cheryl McInerney. "There were such outstanding nominees. Teaching children about health is such a privilege. I love what I do and am honored by this award."

The nomination came from Cheryl's co-worker, Gretchen Nachazel, "Cheryl deserves this award, she is an awesome educator." Nominations included a narrative, news clippings, photographs, letters from child participants and evaluations from program participants.

About the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC)

NAHEC is the national association and network of nonprofit health education centers (HECs) and of other organizations that support children's health education and provide products and services to HECs. NAHEC member centers reached over 3 million children, teachers, and parents in 2003. HECs use life-size exhibits, advanced audio-visual technology, and specialized, interactive instructional techniques not generally found in conventional classrooms. The curriculum is designed to support school-mandated areas of study. With programs like "Blood & Guts," Hummers outfitted with removable organs, and playgrounds modeled after anatomy parts, you'll see why former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop proclaimed that health education centers "put pizzazz in prevention."

For more information about NAHEC, please visit nahec.org.

Public Days

The Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station Exhibit Gallery is open free of charge, the 4th Thursday of every month for individuals and families 10am-8pm September through May and 10am-6pm June through August. You can expect to spend 40-60 minutes for the tour. No reservations are necessary, and an adult must accompany anyone under the age of 18.