Montessori students schooled on health and hydration 

SunUte Fitness Trainers, Eliyah Lucero and Will Hacker took the lead on a series of hands-on educational programs for tribal youth focused on health education and basic nutrition. Students from the Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy (SUIMA) attended in person workshops over the course of four days at SunUte Community Center from Monday, March 13 through Thursday, March 16.  

“It’s important to start a foundation early for healthy eating habits, especially when it comes to Native youth,” Hacker emphasized.  

At the direction of SunUte Fitness Director, Abel Valesquez, the trainers put together a list of materials and ingredients they would need to facilitate a multiday program at the community center. Their goal — to reinforce the nutritional education that was already being offered at SUIMA through Lisa Smith with Shining Mountain Health and Wellness.  

“I saw that the kids already knew quite a bit about what is healthy; they already knew that they should be making healthy choices, drinking water, eating healthy snacks,” Hacker said. “They already knew a lot, but our class helped reinforce that.” 

The four modules covered the topics of hydration, sugar, healthy snacks and the dangers of fast food. Classes were split into groups of kindergarten students, plus lower and upper elementary – with SunUte hosting three classes per day. “It was very interactive, and the kids really enjoyed it,” Lucero said. 

“The sugar one was probably the best one for them, it was hands on,” Lucero said. “We showed them the difference between a Pepsi, a Monster energy drink, Gatorade, and a Snickers candy bar. We showed them how much sugar they should be consuming and compared that to how much the drinks had in them.”   

“They could really see [firsthand] how much sugar was in each item,” Hacker emphasized. “SUIMA guides participated as well, to help reinforce the lessons.” 

“Hydration … I gave them facts on when they should drink water and why they should and ways to make water taste better, and we made our own infused water with cucumbers, lemon and mint,” Lucero said. “Some of them liked it and some of them didn’t. [The idea was to emphasize] choosing flavored water over sugary beverages.” 

The multiday program breakdown dived into: Hydration: the importance of staying hydrated, healthy drink options (fruit and mint infused water); Sugar: negative effects of sugar, health alternatives to sugar, and a sugar measuring activity. Healthy Snacks: importance of healthy ingredients, including fruits and vegetables; Fast food and fat content. 

“We collaborated with Gabs Garcia, the SUIMA Physical Education teacher,” Lucero said. “We had all the kids come in during their PE time as well, for a basic physical assessment, with hopes to follow up at the end of the school year.” 

The program isn’t new to SunUte, but this is the first health & nutrition series that the community center has sponsored in several years. “It reinforces what Lisa Smith is teaching,” SunUte Director Robin Duffy-Wirth said. Empowering youth to make the best choices possible in their everyday lives — where diet and nutrition play a key role.