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The School District of La Crosse has been presented with a gold Well Workplace Award by The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), with local affiliate Wellness Council of Wisconsin (WCWI). The award recognizes the district’s commitment to building successful and comprehensive workplace wellness initiatives to better serve the health and well-being of its employees.

“As a district, we believe all aspects of wellness are important to incorporate into the everyday lives of our employees and students,” said district wellness coordinator Brianna Manguson. “Being in the education field, what our employees think, say, and do directly reflects upon the children we are entrusted with every day in our schools. We believe offering educational opportunities to our staff strengthens their healthy lifestyle choices but also their modeling of those healthy choices contributes to the overall positive health and well-being of our students.”

Throughout the school year, the district provides multiple wellness opportunities to employees. District staff can participate in group exercise programs, personal health assessments, and mapped and timed walking routes. District employees are also able to take part in lunch and learn sessions which cover topics like healthy cooking, financial wellness, nutrition education, community partnerships, and an array of individual, team-based, and classroom health and well-being related challenges.

“Good companies know that their employees are their most valuable asset,” said WELCOA president Ryan Picarella. “Great companies adopt policies that support employees’ efforts to reduce health risks and are bold about motivating them through bold strategies, programs, and tactics. Great companies know that by improving their employees’ health, they can reduce health care costs.”

The Well Workplace Awards initiative is driven by a rigorous set of criteria outlined in WELCOA’s seven benchmarks to a result-oriented Well Workplace. Since its inception in 1991, over 1,000 organizations, ranging from educational institutions to non-profit and profit sectors have joined the list of “America’s Healthiest Companies” by receiving the Well Workplace Award.