VBSD employee bowling tournament promotes wellness and school spirit

Van Buren School District staff came together earlier this month for a fun night of promoting health, wellness, and school spirit.

More than 200 faculty and staff participated in the second annual tournament on November 6. Held at Bowling World in Fort Smith, the two-part event included an elementary school division and one for secondary campuses. Teams comprised of teachers and their fellow staffers sported festive shirts and outfits for the tournament. Participants played two games, with winners being announced following the second round.

Parkview prevailed as the winner in the elementary division, followed by King in second place, and Central Elementary School in third. Secondary schools champion was Butterfield Trail Middle School. Second place went to Northridge Middle School, and third to the staff of Van Buren High School.

District leaders also presented several unique honors to those exhibiting exceptional school spirit. Central Middle School was named "Most Energetic Team" and Rena was honored as "Best Dressed Team."

Individual awards were given to the top male and female bowlers in each division. Patrick Allred from Parkview earned Top Male Bowler and Pattie Grider from Central was named Top Female Bowler among the elementary school participants. Summer Mulloy from the "A" (Administration) Team was Top Female Bowler in the secondary division. Kevin Peters from Butterfield earned both the Top Male Bowler award, and the honor for "Most Strikes." Dewayne Richesin from Northridge, earned the "Most Spares" title.

The tournament is part of the Van Buren School District’s overall commitment to helping staff stay healthy and develop active lifestyles. VBSD is a Coordinated School Health (CSH) district recognized by the Arkansas Department of Education. One of the components is staff wellness. "Our goal as a district is to provide opportunities, like bowling, for the VBSD faculty to join together in, have fun, compete and be active," said Drew Cone, VBSD Activities Coordinator.

As part of the CSH designation, VBSD is part of a growing number of districts seeking to engage its faculty through health-related activities and promote overall wellness among its members. According to the Arkansas CSH website, the “opportunities encourage staff members to pursue a healthy lifestyle that contributes to their improved health status, improved morale, and a greater personal commitment to the school's overall coordinated health program.”

"Events like our bowling tournament help demonstrate that being healthy and active can be fun and can provide opportunities to interact with friends and colleagues," noted Cone. "We appreciate all those who participated in this event and look forward to our next health and wellness function."