Mental and physical wellness are at the forefront for Oak Hill Academy this year. Thanks to our theme of #WarriorWellness, students are learning healthy habits and different ways of taking care of themselves. A commonly overlooked health concern for teenagers and adults is dehydration.
Cause and effect of dehydration
54 percent of the U.S. children and adolescent population is dehydrated. Contributing factors to dehydration are lack of awareness of the importance of staying hydrated and the inaccessibility of water throughout the day.
And what does dehydration look like in children and teenagers? It causes fatigue and tiredness, headaches, a lack of focus, and an overall unhealthy feeling. Dehydrated students aren’t functioning in an optimal way—they don’t have the energy or the concentration to do their best, nor will they feel their best.
Teaching hydration habits at Oak Hill
Our focus on overall wellness means we’re taking hydration seriously at Oak Hill. To combat dehydration, our students need to learn the importance of drinking plenty of water.
“We are teaching students that about 50 percent of teens are at least somewhat dehydrated, that 10 cups of water a day is best for active teens—most of our kids thought 4-8 cups daily was good—and teaching them how to set healthy eating and drinking goals,” said Mrs. Joy Groves, Director of Counseling and head of the #WarriorWellness initiative.
Water also needs to be more easily available throughout the day. To that end, Director of Development Mr. Tim Henry collaborated with Mrs. Groves to provide each student and faculty advisor with their own water bottle, ensuring that they are able to have consistent access to hydration.
“Many of the kids filled the bottles up immediately,” faculty member Mrs. Linda Smith noted.
Pledging to stay hydrated
Additionally, students signed “Healthy Hydration” pledges, promising to take care of themselves by staying hydrated:
“By accepting this nifty, BPA Free, OHA water bottle, I pledge to take the healthy hydration challenge by bringing a water bottle to school every day so that I have a source of water to drink throughout the day. I agree that the tiny cups are just for taking medicine and I celebrate that this challenge will also keep many tiny cups out of the landfill. Thank you to Mr. Henry for this opportunity.”
Committing themselves to staying hydrated is a reminder to all of our students—and faculty members— of the importance of hydration to overall health and #WarriorWellness.