Wellness - Building Healthy Lifestyles
The Martin County School District offers an Employee Wellness Program to improve the health and well-being of employees and their dependents. We are committed to providing our employees with information, educational activities, and preventive screenings needed to improve their health and incorporate healthier lifestyle options into daily routines.
What is wellness?
Wellness is a holistic and active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy, fulfilling life and achieving one’s full potential. There are eight dimensions of wellness: occupational, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, social and intellectual. Each is interrelated with another and is equally important in the pursuit of health.
The Eight Dimensions of Wellness
Want to be a Wellness Ambassador?
Wellness Ambassadors are MCSD employees who promote District-sponsored wellness programs. To be an effective wellness ambassador, you need to lead by example, regardless of where you are in your personal wellness journey.
Wellness Ambassadors market, publicize and recruit MCSD staff to participate in health and wellbeing activities and events by:
Forwarding and posting all biweekly Wellness Wednesday newsletters (must have access to District email); reserving a “wellness message” in staff meetings to convey information on health topics and upcoming wellness events and programs.
Creating, hosting and planning unique wellness initiatives for their school site or department staff; a minimum of two per school year (Fall and Spring).
Participating in Building Healthy Lifestyles Wellness Program events.
Identifying potential ideas, strategies and programs for enhancing wellbeing and a healthy environment.
Serving as a Wellness Ambassador will require 30 minutes to two hours of time per month, depending upon special events occurring through the Building Healthy Lifestyle program or at each school location/department. All Wellness Ambassador roles are voluntary and should be worked on using discretion related to required job responsibilities and departmental priorities. Contact Abby Caviston for more information.
Star Wellness Ambassador
Congratulations, Liza Hough! She is this quarter’s winner of the STAR WELLNESS AMBASSADOR Award.
Ms. Hough has shown tremendous effort in sharing her wellness message with Pinewood Elementary and Willoughby Learning Center. As the Building Healthy Lifestyles staff, we are so impressed and proud of her continued efforts to excel in multiple dimensions of wellness. One of Liza’s strengths as a Wellness Ambassador is her level of communication with PWE and WLC team members, as well as with the ‘Building Healthy Lifestyles’ team. As a first time Wellness Ambassador she is doing a wonderful job with getting her team members motivated and excited about their onsite wellness initiatives. Way to go, Liza… keep up the great work!
Healthy Hero Award
The Healthy Hero award is open to all employees who make healthy choices in pursuit of their wellness goals in any of the eight dimensions of wellness. Each school/department’s Wellness Ambassador(s) will have the ability to nominate an individual for the Healthy Hero award to the Building Healthy Lifestyles staff. Nominations will include the employee’s name, location, achievements, photo (optional) and the nominated employee must give approval for the nomination prior. Each month’s winner will receive recognition in a MCSD Wellness Wednesday update and the MCSD Wellness Program’s page of the website. They will also receive a gift that represents one of the eight dimensions of wellness and Certificate of Achievement to display their impressive accomplishment. For questions regarding this program, please reach out to your school/department’s Wellness Ambassador(s).
October 2025
Congratulations to Jacqueline Santamaria at Indiantown Middle School, as she is the October WINNER of the HEALTHY HERO AWARD! Ms. Santamaria was nominated by Wellness Ambassador Carolina Mojica. Check out the nomination write-up submitted by Carolina…
“This is what it means to be a Healthy Hero. It is about vision, dedication, and encouragement. When considering these qualities, one person comes to mind: Jacqueline Santamaria.
Jacqueline is an Assistant Secretary at Indiantown Middle School. She is a very family orientated person with a great positive attitude toward life. She enjoys spending her free time traveling and exploring new places. I chose her because she has motivated me to become a better, healthier version of myself, just as she did. She started on a health journey, not only helping her physically but also in all aspects of her life. She committed herself to workout routines and complete nutritious meals. She concurs with the quote, "If you look good, you feel good," and I couldn't agree more. She believes that if your health is great, your emotional well-being and everything else should fall into place. She is also a great motivator and always sees the best in others, believing they can do it, no matter what situation they are facing. Jacqueline is leading by example and proving that wellness can be approachable and fun.”
September 2025
Congratulations to Tammie Meder at Willoughby Learning Center, as she is the September WINNER of the HEALTHY HERO AWARD! Mrs. Meder was nominated by Wellness Ambassador Katrina Doyle. Check out the nomination write-up submitted by Katrina…
“As a dedicated Physical Education teacher serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade at an alternative school, Mrs. Tammie Meder leads by example in promoting physical, mental, and social wellness every day. Her own lifestyle reflects the values she strives to instill in her students. She maintains a consistent fitness routine through BE CrossFit and Orange Theory of Stuart, and she has proudly achieved recognition as a CrossFit quarterfinalist. She also takes part in meaningful Hero workouts, embracing the challenge while honoring the spirit of service and resilience they represent.
To complement her training, she practices a balanced approach to nutrition through fasting and macro tracking, ensuring that she models sustainable and healthy habits for her students and community. Beyond the gym, she finds joy and well-being in the outdoors—whether sailing, biking, gardening, or enjoying time at the beach—living proof of the benefits of an active lifestyle.
In her role as an educator, she does more than teach physical activity; She helps students understand the importance of wellness in all forms—physical, social, and mental. She provides factual guidance on the consequences of unhealthy choices and peer pressure, encouraging her students to make positive decisions that support lifelong health. By building supportive relationships, she creates a safe space where students can grow in confidence, self-control, and resilience. Let's not forget, she was also nominated as Willoughby Learning Center's Teacher of the Year for 2024!
Through her personal commitment to fitness, balanced nutrition, and outdoor activity, paired with her professional dedication to empowering students with knowledge and healthy habits, Mrs. Meder strives to embody the spirit of a Healthy Hero—living the message she teaches and inspires others to do the same.”
Have questions? We want to hear from you!
For additional information regarding the Martin County School District's Building Healthy Lifestyles Wellness Program, please reach out to Abby Caviston by phone at 772.219.1200 x 30386 or by email at cavista@martinschools.org