Students Excelling In New Horizons Dual Language Spanish Academy

The Dual Language International Spanish Academy Program at New Horizons Elementary School in Wellington educates students to become fully bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.

According to Principal Dana Pallaria, the dual-language program at New Horizons allows her students to reach the high standards that are necessary for becoming productive members of the community.

The dual language program at New Horizons has been in place for 15 years. The program partners with the Department of Education in Spain. With this partnership, New Horizons has become an international academy. This means that the school receives resources by way of visiting teachers from Spain, who come to the United States for three years to teach not only the Spanish language, but also the culture of their home country. 

New Horizons was the first of three schools in Palm Beach County to receive this accreditation. For half the day, students receive education in English, while they learn in Spanish the other half.

“At New Horizons, we have approximately 675 students,” Pallaria said. “Approximately 450 students are in the International Spanish Academy in kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a full-immersion program. The students learn English and Spanish in both reading and science.

There are multiple benefits to a dual-language program, she explained.

“The reason we see it as being so important is that our students have the opportunity to excel in a foreign language,” Pallaria said. “The research shows that early entry into the International Spanish Academy, or any [foreign] language, produces very high SAT scores, which gives our students the benefit of getting into college. It increases listening skills, memory skills, and they have greater cognitive development.”

Aside from educational benefits, there are many other positive outcomes.

“It gives the student a multicultural appreciation, and they become bilingual at an early age,” Pallaria said. “It also opens up opportunities for careers in their future. Graduates from the International Spanish Academy in Palm Beach County will receive a diploma from Spain, as well as one in the United States, when they complete their high school education.”

The program is aimed at both English-speaking students and those who are from bilingual homes.

“We tell our families that [the programs] support their home language, it values their culture, it values other cultures, especially for our students who are English-speaking, and are in the program to learn Spanish,” Pallaria said. “The program increases their vocabulary and their ability to communicate with more people in the community.”

There are approximately 60 teachers at New Horizons, and 24 are certified to teach the dual-language program. The teachers must pass a language assessment, be certified, and be able to teach reading and science in both languages. Each teacher is responsible for two core subject areas.

Once a student enters the dual-language program in elementary school, they usually continue their dual-language education in middle school and high school.

New Horizons language coach Melissa Arcos explained a normal day in a student’s education. “Typically, a student will start their day on the English side,” Arcos said. “They will receive instruction in reading, writing and math. The students break for lunch, and then switch to go back to learn in their Spanish class. They will receive instruction for reading, writing, science and social studies, but in Spanish.”

In this way, it is a full-immersion program. “When they are in the Spanish classroom, the student will only hear Spanish. The teacher will communicate in Spanish only,” Arcos said. “All of the resources she uses will be in Spanish, as well.”

It is important for a dual-language program to begin early in a student’s education. It is best for a student to be enrolled in kindergarten, but a first or second grader still has a window of time to participate.

“We start as early as kindergarten,” Arcos said. “But we do encourage parents, because it is such a wonderful gift to give our kids, even if they are in first or second grade, it is not too late. By the time we hit third grade, we would have to evaluate the student, because at that point, we are expecting the language to be established, so that we can focus now, not on acquiring the language, but learning with that language.”

Teachers in the dual-language program at New Horizons are from all over the world, including Spain, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Venezuela and Mexico.

“All of the mix of cultures represents a different aspect of learning for our students,” Arcos explained. “We are actually teaching the children to listen to it and understand it, so they will eventually start trying it. It’s not a formal language class, like this is how you write a sentence or spell. We are actually teaching the student to listen to the language and pay attention to it, slowly acquiring the understanding.”

Communication can be difficult when visiting another culture. If there are no language skills to communicate, one is forced into having to find a way to speak. “With children, we are tactful, because we don’t want to cause any kind of frustration,” Arcos explained. “This is the beautiful thing about doing this at the elementary stage, where we can use videos and music, where teachers can be silly and act out what they are trying to communicate.”

The lessons are not repeated in a dual-language program. For instance, the student who receives lesson one in English, will move to lesson two in Spanish. They are not receiving the same lesson in both languages. Learning the language this way represents a challenge for the student.

“Students must keep up with what’s happening,” Arcos said. “This is where it is extremely important that both the English and Spanish teachers communicate. This is why we refer to them as partnerships, because they need to communicate what students are struggling with when having difficulty understanding the lessons.”

For those students learning Spanish, the teacher is going to have to give more support in English, Arcos noted, while for those learning English, the Spanish teacher will have to give more support in Spanish. “Our students are also a great tool,” Arcos said. “They are strategically put together so that an English speaker can help a Spanish speaker in English, and vice versa.”

To learn more about the Dual Language International Spanish Academy, call (561) 651-0500.

Synchronized Ice Skating Is Growing In Popularity, Even Here In Florida

Steve Lomax, together with his children (10-year-old Sofia and 8-year-old Austin), have come up with a family-friendly way to beat the summer heat. They leave their home in Wellington and head to the nearest ice skating rink.

“I started coming here when my other daughter, Natalie, was taking ice skating lessons,” he recalled. “She was four at the time. Soon, I was taking them, too. Now, it’s our family’s second home.”

Eventually, Natalie channeled her talents into soccer, but Steve, Sofia and Austin are now practicing every week for a big Theatre on Ice competition coming up on Aug. 17 in Virginia. As part of the Palm Beach Skate Zone synchronized ice skating team, they will present the production number “Arabian Nights,” a nod to Disney’s Aladdin.

“Because the production needs performers of all ages, it’s a chance for me to compete alongside my children,” Steve explained. “It’s a good chance for us to be together. We wear costumes, we have a script, there’s music, and we skate to it. I get to play Jafar. My son is Abu, the little monkey, and my daughter is one of the gypsies.”

Although this is the family’s first trip to the bi-annual competition, Steve has been featured in local Skate Zone shows, appearing as Dark Vader, a Nutcracker and the Grinch.

As the popularity of synchronized ice skating soars coast to coast, Palm Beach Skate Zone keeps pace with the trend by hosting teams for ages 5 to 7, 7 to 11, 12 and up, and the Theatre on Ice group for ages 6 through adult. The program is coached by Debra Fertig.

“Synchronized skating has been around since late 1950s,” Fertig said. “The first team was formed in Ann Arbor, Mich., although, back then, it was known as precision skating. There are 8 to 20 skaters on a team, with 90 percent of them female.”

Ann Arbor’s “Hockettes” team — similar to Radio City Music Hall’s “Rockettes” — was formed to entertain spectators during intermissions of the University of Michigan Wolverines hockey team. Because the emphasis was on precision and timing, it resembled a drill team routine in its early days.

Today, there are about 600 synchronized skate teams in the United States alone, with talk of making it an Olympic sport.

“Synchro offers skaters the ability to compete and immerse themselves at higher levels than individualized skating,” Fertig said. “When you train as an individual, it takes a tremendous amount of time, money and dedication with very slim chances of becoming a national or international competitor. But synchronized skating allows team members to compete at regional, sectional, national and international levels. You’re not doing spins, you’re doing these intricate patterns on the ice. It makes it easier to rise to a higher level.”

Competitive levels include synchro skills, preliminary, pre-juvenile, open-juvenile, juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, open collegiate, collegiate, open adult, open masters, masters and adult. Synchronized skating uses the same judging system as singles, pairs and ice dancing. The discipline is primarily judged on skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, interpretation and difficulty of elements. What makes the sport so unique is the incredible teamwork, speed and intricate formations.

Each level performs a free-skate program that requires elements such as circles, lines, blocks, wheels, intersections, “moves in isolation” and, at higher levels, lifts.

“Moves in isolation” are when one or more skaters separates from the rest of the group and performs freestyle moves. For example, three skaters may separate and go into sit spins, while the rest of the team is in a circle formation. The three skaters will then join the group again and carry on with the routine.

In competitions, teams are required to perform step sequences, ranging in difficulty with each level. In the junior and senior divisions, teams are required to perform a free-skate, also known as a long program, as well as a short program. Generally, the short program is more technical in nature, where the free-skating program is longer and provides an opportunity to showcase expression, emotion and interpretation. Novice, junior and senior programs also include sequences where the whole team does moves such as bellman spirals, 170 spirals, unsupported spirals, spread eagles and more.

Fertig is particularly pleased to see that figure skating, a discipline that formerly focused on one individual, has grown to be so much more.

“The benefits of synchronized skating are that it is a team sport, so it brings together skaters and their families in practice, performing and celebrations. It brings all ages together,” she said.

There’s another benefit as well. “The number of colleges and universities who have synchro skating teams is growing,” Fertig noted. “Skating makes you a standout on your application. If you are a synchronized figure skater, you can aspire to their team.”

Over the years, North American teams have developed more creative and innovative routines, incorporating stronger basic skating skills, new maneuvers and more sophisticated transitions, which naturally necessitated greater speed, style and agility.

Due to this growing interest, the first official international competition was held between Canadian and American teams in 1976. With the internationalization of the sport, it has evolved rapidly, with increasing emphasis on speed and skating skills, and highlight elements such as jumps, spirals, spins and lifts that originally were not permitted in competition.

“I’m all about having kids have an activity,” Fertig said. “You often don’t think about ice skating in South Florida, but when you come to the rink, you make friends. It’s a win-win. I want to give them a sense of belonging. They get together, wear the team jacket, exercise regularly and learn to be a team player. It is similar to Rockettes on ice; we dress alike and do the same things. The challenge is to be as one — making lines, circles and blocks, as one. They learn respect, patience and skating skills.”

To learn more about the synchronized ice skating team at Palm Beach Skate Zone, call (561) 963-5900 or visit www.pbskatezone.com.

The Arc Of Palm Beach County Honored For Outstanding Service

Ralph is about to celebrate his third anniversary at Otis Elevator Company. He stuffs envelopes to help the company with its monthly billing, and the job helps Ralph buy DVDs of his favorite TV shows and movies. Working gives the 45-year-old a sense of purpose.

The Wellington-area resident has been part of The Arc of Palm Beach County’s Adult Career Transition Program since 2008. The Arc staff take Ralph to and from his job at Otis Elevator and help him complete his time sheets and stay organized.

The career program is just one of the many services that The Arc of Palm Beach County has been providing for people with disabilities since 1958. The nonprofit’s ongoing dedication to creating connections and encouraging independence for people with disabilities led the United Way to name it a Community Champion. The honor was bestowed at the Simply the Best Awards ceremony in May.

The Arc’s wide array of services address the needs of all people with disabilities, from infants to senior citizens. Along with educational and recreational activities, the nonprofit also provides group housing and in-home or center-based respite care to help parents find balance as they care for their child. The United Way has funded many of these programs, allowing the nonprofit to serve more than 2,800 families each year. 

“The United Way of Palm Beach County is grateful to be a partner in the incredible work that The Arc is doing in our community,” said Dr. Laurie George, president and CEO of United Way of Palm Beach County. “Like the United Way, their programs were created in direct response to the community’s need for basic services so that everyone can achieve their full potential. The Arc is a champion for individuals in our community with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and it was our honor to recognize them for the significant impact they are making.”

The Arc was also recognized this spring for its fiscal responsibility. In fact, Volunteer Florida and AmeriCorps founded the Financial Organization of the Year Award in honor of The Arc. Thanks to a grant from Volunteer Florida, 27 AmeriCorps workers were able to spend a year working at The Arc and learning about the nonprofit. As the AmeriCorps representatives gained experience, they noted the nonprofit’s efforts to document expenses, issue reimbursements and maintain overall financial excellence. 

“This year, there was one organization that we felt was so deserving of recognition, we created the new Financial Organization of the Year Award,” said Tracie Lambright, senior financial analyst for Volunteer Florida. “They have become an exceptional role model for other organizations, and those who are struggling in this area should reach out to them for guidance.”

The Arc of Palm Beach County President and CEO Kimberly McCarten said her organization was honored by these awards.

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized for our lifeworks,” McCarten said. “Receiving these awards from those who have entrusted us with their time and resources, reaffirms that our efforts are truly felt in every corner of our community.”

McCarten added that seeing the daily accomplishments of the people they serve keeps the nonprofit’s staff motivated. The impact they have made in Ralph’s life is evident — his smile is consistent no matter how many envelopes he has to stuff. For the staff at The Arc, there is no greater reward.

To learn more about how The Arc is helping to better the community and the future for people with disabilities, visit www.arcpbc.org.

Wellington’s Elbridge Gale Claims Top Fundraising Honors From Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

For years, Palm Beach County teachers, staff, students and families have supported the various campaigns of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to fighting blood cancers. This past year, one Wellington elementary school claimed top fundraising honors in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.

The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Funds raised by LLS support lifesaving blood cancer research around the world while also providing free information and support services locally to patients and their families. 

Wellington’s Elbridge Gale Elementary School took the prize for top fundraising school in the region, raising $14,283. The A-rated school located on Royal Fern Drive has an enrollment of 1,070 and has long been deeply involved in the LLS mission. Drew Dawson, a current fourth-grade student at the school, is a leukemia survivor and served as the school’s 2018-19 Honored Hero. He is one of several Elbridge Gale students affected by leukemia in recent years.

Funds raised by more than 29,000 schools nationwide assist LLS in serving patients, as well as funding innovative research worldwide to find cures. In 2019, the LLS Palm Beach-Treasure Coast Chapter had 155 schools participating in the Pennies for Patients Student Series program, with 106 of those schools in Palm Beach County alone. The 155 schools collectively raised more than $235,000 to support the LLS mission.

Palm Beach County schools received thousands of dollars in Amazon gift certificates and engaged more than 70,000 students in hands-on, experiential activities in the 2018-19 school year. LLS would not have seen success like this without the support of Superintendent Dr. Donald E. Fennoy, who has been a huge advocate for LLS and has promoted the importance of community service as part of a well-rounded education.

Several other schools in the Wellington area also did their part for the cause. Wellington Elementary School raised $4,544, Emerald Cove Middle School raised $4,423, Binks Forest Elementary School raised $3,472 and the Renaissance Charter School at Wellington raised $2,635.

The LLS Student Series is a service learning, character education and philanthropy program where students gain the experience of helping thousands of children and adults in their fight against blood cancers like leukemia. Students see firsthand how their involvement can make a difference in helping save the lives of blood cancer patients simply by helping raise money. Through the LLS Student Series, students and educators throughout the United States and Canada have raised more than $314 million since 1993 in support of the LLS mission.

The School District of Palm Beach County has supported two specific Student Series programs. Collect for Cures is LLS’s service learning, character education and philanthropy program where students of all ages gain the unique experience of helping thousands of children and adults in their fight against blood cancers like leukemia by collecting money over a three-week period. There are programs available for each grade level that incorporate the philanthropic program with curriculum areas such as art, math, science, social studies and language arts.

Pennies for Patients is LLS’s year-long program specifically for elementary and middle schools. This science-based, service-learning program connects schools with local blood cancer patients, provides tangible life skills to participants and allows students to see the impact they’re making in the lives of others. Participating schools receive a comprehensive, experiential K-8 STEM curriculum to incorporate into the fundraising campaign. The STEM curriculum covers key Common Core skills and features hands-on, experiential activities. It also includes timesaving patterns and ready-to-use-presentations for teachers.

Elementary and middle schools receive boxes for each classroom and individual boxes for each student to take the LLS Students Series home to their families and provide an easy way to carry change back to school. Donations collected in the form of coins, paper money, checks and online donations are spent on patient and community services, research, public health and professional education.

School donation pages can be accessed at the top right corner of the LLS web site. Each year, prizes and awards are given to students, classrooms and schools to encourage excitement and participation, such as a pasta party hosted through a national partnership with Olive Garden.

For more information about local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society programs, visit www.lls.org/palm-beach-area.

Youth Puts Wellington Over The Top On 2019 Let’s Move Challenge

What does it take to log 12,849,676 minutes of physical activity across the Village of Wellington to win the Palm Health Foundation’s 2019 Let’s Move challenge? According to Paulette Edwards, Wellington’s community services director, the key was community engagement.

“We thought through all the ways our community comes together — government, community organizations, neighborhoods, schools, parks and businesses — and engaged every age group from pre-K to seniors,” she explained.

Wellington bested 409 teams across Palm Beach County to log the most minutes of exercise during the Palm Health Foundation’s “Let’s Move: Commit to Change Physical Activity Challenge” in March — the second time in two years that Wellington won. The village accounted for a whopping 40 percent of the total 32 million minutes logged.

The challenge, now in its seventh year, inspires Palm Beach County residents to complete and log 30 minutes of activity each day during the month of March. 

According to Marge Sullivan, a 17-year Wellington resident and the Palm Health Foundation’s vice president of communications, Let’s Move was inspired by former First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2010 national program to decrease childhood obesity.

“We created the challenge for adults and children to improve a variety of health issues through regular physical activity, including reducing the risk for diabetes and heart disease, improving brain health, and increasing chances for healthy longevity,” Sullivan said.

Startling statistics were also the impetus. The State of Obesity’s annual report cites that Florida’s adult obesity rate is currently 28.4 percent, up from 18.4 percent in 2000, and it has the nation’s 13th highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17 at 16.9 percent.

The importance of improving residents’ overall health — both mind and body — was what attracted Jill Merrell, owner of Wellington’s Ultima Fitness, to champion the village’s Let’s Move team since it began.

“We’ve always been advocates of the community and getting people active,” Merrell said. “Ultima Fitness continually evolves to better serve our community. Let’s Move gave us the opportunity to show people how they can reach their wellness goals no matter their level of fitness. It’s so rewarding to see how people of all ages increase their energy levels and happiness through exercise.”

Merrell opened Ultima to the community for free the entire month of March and encouraged everyone to log their minutes. They also engaged their martial arts school youth, childcare group and mom’s club to all become active. Merrell believes that parents and youth leaders need to set the example. “By educating the adults, we are creating role models for children,” she said.

Mayor Anne Gerwig couldn’t agree more. That’s why she and the other four Wellington Village Council members embraced Let’s Move. “Getting kids out and active and setting a pattern of behavior gets them on the right path for their entire lives,” Gerwig said.

The mayor and council members kicked off their support by participating in a Let’s Move campaign video that was designed to get youth involved. Playing the role of rallier-in-chief, Assistant Village Manager Jim Barnes donned a sweatband, his Converse sneakers and Let’s Move t-shirt for the filming. Walking through Village Park, he and the council members pass by athletes from Wellington and Palm Beach Central high schools, showing them in action and then becoming part of a growing swarm of youth joining Barnes and the Let’s Move team. 

Edwards knew that by making the youth the spotlight of the video, they would share it on social media and invite their fellow athletes and friends to join. She also knew that engaging the high school’s activity directors and the Parks & Recreation Department and other youth community groups, like the Boys & Girls Club, Wellington could be a contender for the top spot in the challenge.

It worked. Parks & Recreation accounted for nearly half of the 12.8 million minutes logged, and the Boys & Girls Club was also a huge contributor.

Gerwig is quick to point out that the goal of Let’s Move isn’t just to log minutes. It’s to make a change in everyone’s life, particularly for youth, by instilling lifelong healthy behaviors, no matter one’s abilities. “It’s not about the level of activity, it’s the time,” she said. “And it’s not about being a super athlete. Everyone can participate at some level.”

While Wellington’s youth were the engine that put the village over the top, Edwards cites the many other creative ways that her department encouraged all ages to participate. Neighborhood Watch captains invited members of their communities to join in evening walks. Seniors taking part in the mall’s “Walkers of Wellington” logged their minutes. And nonprofit, community and faith organizations that make up the Wellington Community Roundtable also took part.

When asked how her efforts helped toward the win, Edwards stressed that she just helped bring the community together. “Wellington had all of the ingredients for success,” she said. “I put myself in the role of the chef to put them all together to bake the cake for the win!”

Let’s Move sponsors included Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center, the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County and Wisehaupt, Bray Asset Management.

Learn more about Let’s Move at www.letsmovepbc.org. To view the Wellington Let’s Move video, visit www.youtube.com/user/MyWellingtonFl.

Wellington Landings Teacher Karen Epstein Wins Top County Award For Educators

Wellington has established itself as the home of the best and most talented, not only in the areas of equestrian sports, but also in the area of education, where the community is home to some of the best public schools and the most outstanding teachers. Among them is Wellington Landings Middle School fine arts teacher Karen Epstein.

In May, Epstein was named the winner of a William T. Dwyer Award for Excellence in Education, an annual award given to six educators in Palm Beach County. She was honored as the county’s top teacher in the Career Education category for 2019.

The William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education is an annual program of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation, which recognizes outstanding educators from the area’s public and private schools.

The Dwyer Awards program seeks to increase awareness of the exemplary teaching in Palm Beach County, while supporting educators and schools with financial awards and encouraging residents to promote high standards of excellence in education.

“Teachers in Palm Beach County refer to the Dwyer Awards as the ‘Academy Awards’ of Palm Beach County,” Dwyer Award Coordinator Natalie Carron said.

Teachers were honored this year in six categories: Elementary School Education, Middle School Education, High School Education, Career Education, STEM Education, and Special Programs Education. Next year, there will be a seventh category added, a Dwyer Award for Palm Beach County’s best pre-kindergarten teacher.

Epstein — who teaches courses in audio visual arts, television production and theater at Wellington Landings — just finished her 22nd year working for the Palm Beach County School District, including 15 years in the classroom, of which nine years have been at Wellington Landings.

First, a list of finalists is announced, before a gala awards ceremony. On May 15, Epstein and the five other winners were honored at the 35th annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education ceremony held at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts. Epstein and the other winning educators each received $3,500 and a crystal flame award for their efforts.

While Epstein was thrilled to win the prestigious award, she was equally impressed by the accomplishments of other nominees and finalists.

“There are some amazing teachers in Palm Beach County,” Epstein said. “I was awestruck to hear the credentials of the other teachers.”

It’s a distinct honor to win a Dwyer Award, as nearly 350 Palm Beach County teachers were nominated for the award this year. From there, usually five or six educators per category are named as finalists. The winner of each award is selected by a committee of nearly 80 local business leaders.

According to Wellington Landings Middle School Principal Blake Bennett, Epstein is a worthy Dwyer Award winner.

“Karen Epstein is so dedicated to her students, improving our community and spreading kindness. She works so hard to make sure she meets the needs of all of her students while teaching so much more than curriculum, but how to be productive citizens, while promoting a love of life-long learning,” said Bennett, who just finished her eighth year as the school’s principal. “There is nothing she can’t or won’t do. She had 86 students perform in our play this year, Willy Wonka Jr. Not many people can coordinate 86 middle school students for months to put on an absolutely phenomenal musical that is a great experience for all involved.”

Bennett appreciates Epstein’s work both in and out of the classroom.

“She also makes sure that the culture of our school is always addressed, from her production of our video announcements to her participation in our Gold Level Model Positive Behavior Support Team, and working with our Kindness Ambassadors all over our school and community,” Bennett said of Epstein. “I could never sum up everything she does in a nutshell. She never stops working for her students and our school.”

Epstein, who graduated from Forest Hill High School, attributes her success to a willingness to listen to her students and show some compassion for them. 

“I’m really more of a facilitator than a teacher,” said Epstein, herself a mother of three. “I let them find their own path. I have a mix of taught routines and class expectations. It’s important to have a sense of humor, a kind spirit, and be willing to listen to the students when they need someone to talk to about their issues and concerns.”

Epstein realized that she was a little different after being diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager, which negatively impacted her interest in reading, but not her interest in learning.

“My interest in science fiction led me to science, which helped me with math and reading,” she explained.

While Epstein has had great success as a teacher, becoming a teacher was not her initial focus.

“While in college, I majored in everything at least once — journalism, astronomy, criminal justice, theater, to name a few,” Epstein explained.

In the end, she settled on a business degree, based on advice from one of her grandfathers.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach and her master’s degree in business administration from Walden University. Her teaching certification is in special education (K-12), business education (K-12) and middle grades integrated curriculum.

Wellington Landings Middle School has a track record of producing Dwyer Award-winning teachers, including Sandra Coster in 2008 and Ron Wilber in 2013.

Besides Epstein, two other Wellington teachers were finalists for this year’s Dwyer Awards: Kathy Zangen from Binks Forest Elementary School in the Elementary School Education category and Tracy Sheppard from Elbridge Gale Elementary School in the STEM Education category. They each received $500 and a certificate.

What did Epstein do with her award money? “Well, I had to pay my bills, and then I had my car professionally cleaned and detailed,” Epstein said.

Patients Benefit From Award-Winning Wound Therapy Program In Wellington

C It was a simple MRI to determine the cause of pain in Cindy Johnson’s left shoulder. No big deal; this was not Johnson’s first experience with an MRI or healthcare services. As a two-time breast cancer survivor and an amputee of her right hand, she has become a bit of an expert when it comes to healthcare. Zip in, zip out — find the source of the pain and quickly start treatment.

As part of the preparation for her eventual hand prosthetic, Johnson was wearing a mesh compression sleeve on her right arm. She was required to wear it for the majority of the day, and she was looking forward to receiving the prosthetic and regaining some use of a right hand. However, it was not long after the MRI started at a local radiology center that she noticed something was not quite right.

“A few minutes into the MRI, I felt pain in my right arm and thought, ‘I should not be having pain’ but decided to endure it since it was only going to be for a few minutes,” Johnson said. “But when the MRI was completed, it was obvious something was not right.”

Her right arm was blistered and had second- and third-degree burns above her right elbow. It turns out that the compression sleeve had silver threads woven into the fabric, and those reacted with the MRI, resulting in the burns to her arm. The burns were significant enough that she would need wound care therapy to heal.

However, this is the point where she considers herself a bit “lucky” to be a breast cancer survivor. She had met Dr. Kathleen Minnick, who served as the medical advisor for her breast cancer support group and is the co-medical director of the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center. Little did Johnson know at the time that meeting Minnick at the support group would eventually be very important to her own health because, in May 2018, Johnson was found unconscious and facedown at her home.

It is not known how long, but Johnson was on the floor an estimated three or four days before she was found. The resulting wounds included five significant pressure ulcers on her face, right thigh, left knee, right ankle and her right chest. In addition, her right hand was under her body during the entire time, and the damage was too significant to be repaired. The hand had to be amputated.

Because of her previous relationship with Minnick from the support group, Johnson chose to have wound therapy treatment for the hand amputation and the pressure ulcers at Wellington Regional Medical Center.

So, when facing wound care again after the MRI burn, she returned to the wound treatment center that always treated her like an old friend and had such great success.

“I chose to come back to the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center because of the success of my first wound care experience,” Johnson said. “It is such a friendly place. Everybody there knows me and treats me like family. I am very appreciative of what they have done for me.”

Having completed her treatments for the MRI burn, the wound care center recently held a “graduation ceremony” for Johnson, which included a graduation hat and tassel.

In contrast to Johnson’s treatments to heal wounds from a traumatic injury, John Shore was being treated at the wound center in an attempt to prevent the amputation of his right toe. Shore, a Type 2 diabetic, originally cut his toe on rocks after swimming in the ocean. He was not too worried. After all, it was not much more than a scratch. But, as a diabetic, the risk of complications from wounds on the foot are significantly higher — and his scratch eventually turned into a dangerous wound that not only risked his toe, but his entire foot.

“After seeing my doctor, I was immediately admitted to Wellington Regional Medical Center because the wound on my toe was so significant,” Shore recalled. “I was given the option to amputate the toe or try wound care in an attempt to save it. After meeting the team at the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center, I choose wound care to try and save my toe.”

Shore’s wound was so significant, he had to start emergency treatment that same day. Unlike Johnson, Shore was a candidate for the center’s hyperbaric chamber. With hyperbaric treatments, a patient is placed in a chamber that is pressurized to the equivalent of going about 49 feet under the surface of the ocean. Inside the chamber, Shore breathes 100 percent pure oxygen, which is carried by his blood to the wound to help promote the body’s natural wound-healing functions. A patient usually receives about 40 treatments, Monday through Friday, each lasting between 90 and 120 minutes.

Shore is 14 treatments into his program and has already seen significant results and said his doctor is amazed at the results so far.

“The care here has been absolutely phenomenal,” Shore said. “I can’t picture going any other place. It is more than just medical care here. The staff is wonderful, and they treat me like family. Five minutes into meeting them for the first time, we were laughing like we had known each other our entire lives.”

The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center recently received the distinguished Center of the Year award. More than 600 centers had the opportunity to qualify for the award, but only six centers received the recognition. In order to qualify, stringent quality measures must be met, such as high levels of healing outcomes, low days to heal and excellent patient satisfaction rates. The recognition is a reflection of the program achieving quality patient care and clinical outcomes.

In addition, the center was also awarded the prestigious President’s Circle award in recognition for outstanding performance in the areas of patient satisfaction and wound care. To earn the distinction, Wellington Regional Medical Center’s wound care center achieved patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent and a healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 30 median days to heal, for a minimum of two consecutive years.

“The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center continues to provide advanced treatment therapies for our patients,” Minnick said. “It is an honor for our team to be nationally recognized by Healogics for our quality, and patients who choose our program for their care can be confident that they have access to the most current treatment protocols and therapies.”

Dr. Arthur Hansen, co-medical director at the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, agreed. “We have known for some time that Wellington Regional’s elite wound care program ranks among the best in the nation,” he said. “This designation is an indication of the medical team’s commitment to providing the best possible wound care services in the country.”

To learn more about the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center,  call (561) 753-2680 or visit www.wellingtonregional.com/services/wound-care.

Support Group For Families Navigating Mental Illness Now Meeting in Wellington

Four decades ago, two mothers gathered together in Wisconsin, thirsting for mutual understanding and in desperate need of empathy and support. Each woman had a child suffering from schizophrenia, and from small beginnings around a kitchen table, the National Alliance on Mental Illness — or NAMI — was created.

The purpose of the organization is to support families of those with mental illnesses by providing education, advocacy and support, striving to see families and their loved ones sail smoothly through stormy seas.

Now, a NAMI family support group has arrived in Wellington.

Since its conception in 1979, NAMI has grown to an organization consisting of 1,000 affiliates nationwide, with the Wellington group falling under the umbrella of NAMI Palm Beach County.

While the national nonprofit is currently based in Virginia, it is constantly establishing and equipping affiliate branches around the country. These individual branches then continue to organize family support groups within their respective areas, the newest in Palm Beach County being the Wellington group.

The members began their monthly meetings in March of this year, meeting at Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 30 at 9610 Stribling Way. They continue to meet at the same location, beginning at 3 p.m. on the third Sunday of every month. Each meeting is different, but they all center around the encouragement and support of family members of individuals with mental illnesses.

This isn’t the first NAMI group that has attempted to set sail in Wellington. According to Katherine Murphy, the director of programs for NAMI Palm Beach County, there was a Wellington group that tried to start up a few years ago, but it never earned its sea legs. That’s when Tracy Bem stepped forward.

While Bem had frequented the previous Wellington group, she started getting more involved with NAMI. “I started hooking up with the NAMI group and taking all the classes again, and I realized the need for a support group out in the western communities,” Bem said. “That’s when I talked to them, and I took the training so that I could do it, because it definitely meets needs.”

There is a significant stigma surrounding people struggling with mental health issues. Both Bem and Murphy emphasized the importance of experienced and empathetic help when dealing with the issues of loving somebody with a mental illness.

“When you have somebody with a mental illness, you need a resource,” Bem said. “You need people with the same situation.”

Murphy noted that people without an accepting and understanding community may have a lower chance of caring for their loved one as effectively as individuals who do have this type of support system. “If families are isolated, alone, they don’t have resources, they don’t have support,” Murphy said. “They might not have that endurance to continue to support their loved ones.”

According to Murphy, the hope is that these NAMI family support groups can reinforce the family members and provide them with helpful tools and resources to press on.

Bem added that people who don’t have a loved one with a mental illness don’t understand the frequent difficulties of the situation. Bem compared the seriousness of mental health conditions to that of a disease like cancer. Unless people see mental illness as an actual — often deadly — disease, she said, they tend to think the family member is merely going about things the wrong way.

“They blame it on you, but when it’s a mental illness, you need somebody who totally understands it to share with,” Bem said. “So that is a huge need. I mean, there should be a support group every day of the week.”

NAMI, according to Murphy, works to educate the family members on the best ways to communicate with a mentally ill family member.

“Sometimes, if we don’t have training in communication or different techniques, different ways to work around things, we might not have the whole toolkit,” Murphy said. “One of the things about NAMI, the family support group, and everything we try to do, is to empower families and to give them the tools and resources. There’s the emotional support, but then there’s also the very concrete tips and tricks.”

Each family support group facilitator goes through a two-day training of the NAMI model and guidelines, and they are all volunteers who are loved ones of a person with mental illness.

“What we offer at NAMI is the ‘lived experience,’ so our groups aren’t led by clinicians, they’re led by family members,” Murphy said. “It’s family members speaking to other family members — people who understand what it’s like to sit in the waiting room, people who understand what it’s like to have to call 911 when times get tough, and people who know what it’s like to go on that journey.”

For this reason, NAMI considers itself a complement to clinical care and not a replacement for it.

Along with the family support groups, NAMI provides services such as NAMI Connection, a group for people with mental health conditions, as well as mentoring programs, mingling activities and more.

Everything NAMI offers is free-of-charge, Murphy noted.

“NAMI’s goal is to help the family to be there for the long term,” Murphy said. “We want to provide them with the tools, support and resources to continue to support their loved one for the rest of their life.”

If you have a loved one struggling with a mental illness, or if you would like to learn more about NAMI Palm Beach County programs, call (561) 588-3477 or visit www.namipbc.org.

Exercise Is Medicine Fighting Physical Inactivity Is Crucial In Modern America

“Sitting is the new smoking” and “exercise is medicine.” Those were two of the big-picture thoughts which I shared with the Rotary Club of Wellington on Thursday, June 13. On that day, I discussed the national issue of physical inactivity during this gathering of Wellington community leaders.

In addition to writing for Wellington The Magazine, I also serve as the director of communications for PHIT America, a national nonprofit group working to reverse the current “inactivity pandemic” in the United States. I have also spent more than 30 years working in the communications sector of the sporting goods and fitness industry.

Right now, this “inactivity pandemic” impacts the lives of 81.7 million Americans. The issue of physical inactivity negatively impacts healthcare costs, academic achievement and military readiness.

During my recent presentation, I shared a number of facts about the magnitude of the physical inactivity problem in America. I could tell by the expressions on the faces of the Rotarians that they were surprised by the depth of physical inactivity in the U.S.

How bad is the state of physical inactivity in the U.S.? According to the Physical Activity Council, nearly 82 million Americans are physically inactive. This is largely driven by America’s sedentary lifestyles, which has prompted many medical doctors in the U.S. to declare that “sitting is the new smoking,” and the medicinal benefits of exercise are so strong that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uses the mantra “exercise is medicine.”

Sadly, 40 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese. Parents and other adults must get physically active during their free time. You can’t sweat on the Internet, so start by putting down cell phones and turning off laptops. Then, they will be free to lead family fitness sessions in their neighborhoods, after dinner on weekdays and during the weekends.

Adults must get physically active for their own benefit, and they must serve as role models for their children, as physical inactivity is affecting the vast majority of young people in the U.S. In fact, less than 10 percent of children ages 6 to 17 are physically active to healthy standards, according to the CDC.

To further confirm the importance of parents and grandparents serving as fitness role models for their children and grandchildren, there is a recent study performed by the British Journal of Sports Medicine that examined fitness levels of children from 50 different countries. Sadly, the results of the study revealed that U.S. children ranked 47th in global fitness. Overall, American children are just not physically fit. Kids, too, need to put down their cell phones and take a break from their tablets.

To get started on the path to physical activity, you don’t even have to leave your desk. There are five simple forms of exercise that don’t require any kind of equipment or athletic experience. They are called “deskercizes.” They can be performed at home, at work or at school.

• Paper Pushups — With your arms outstretched, while grabbing the edge of your desk, lean at 45 degrees and start doing pushups. Consider 20 every hour on the hour.
• Book Press — Pick up the heaviest book that you can hold with both hands. Then, extend the book above your head, and then lower it down behind your neck. This will help your triceps.
• Shoulder Blade Squeezes — To improve your hunched posture, stand up and squeeze your shoulder blades back and forth. Hold the squeeze on your shoulder blades for 10 seconds.
• Chair Squats — Stand a few inches from the edge of your chair, lower yourself until you are seated in your chair, stretch out your arms parallel to the ground and keep your back straight.
• Standing Calf Raises — While grabbing the back of your chair, put your feet together, and get up on your tippy toes. This process strengthens your calf muscles.

Physical inactivity in the U.S. is having a major impact on military readiness. Believe it or not, but the U.S. Army went on record with PHIT America in 2017 to produce an op-ed to address physical inactivity in the U.S. In U.S. Army & PHIT America Respond To Obesity News: National Defense Is At Risk If Physical Inactivity Is Not Reversed, the U.S. Army made a plea to U.S. education leaders to bring back daily physical education to schools because too many military recruits coming out of high school are not physically fit, and, therefore, not capable of making it through boot camp without getting injured because their bodies are not used to basic levels of physical activity.

Learn more about how fighting the “inactivity pandemic” at www.phitamerica.org.

From Soil to Oil Oliver’s Harvest Brings Natural CBD Oil To Wellington

Longtime Wellington residents Frank and Herta Suess are ahead of the curve in the trending field of CBD oil. Oliver’s Harvest, the two-year-old company named after their son, is dedicated to bringing a natural product to people looking for a safe option for treating a variety of issues from pain and inflammation to insulin control.

The variety of products available is impressive. Herbal supplements help with specific issues, such as joint support, sleeping issues and blood glucose management for Type 2 diabetics. Tinctures are concentrated CBD oils that provide more broad-spectrum support for general wellness.

“CBD with melatonin — I take that,” said Frank Suess, who has used CBD oil since before starting this venture. “I used to take Lorazepam, which is a prescription and addictive. I switched to our product, and it works well. With the Lorazepam, you need time to wake up, but with this, I felt rested and not drowsy.”

Suess has been involved in the healthcare industry through his Wellington-based businesses for decades, so it was a natural fit to base Oliver’s Harvest here as well.

Early on, Suess realized that while his pharmacist’s recommendations were solid, to develop a full product line, he needed an expert. So, he brought in a biomedical researcher to keep them on the cutting edge of the field. That is when Jamila Mammadova joined the team as the company’s research and development director.

“We want to refer to scientific data behind everything we claim,” Mammadova said. “We have studies on rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, inflammation, pain sensitivity, insulin sensitivity for Type 2 diabetes and social anxiety. Currently, there is a clinical trial going on in Israel for inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Currently, there is no cure for these chronic diseases, and people are just living with it. They need an anti-inflammatory that will be able to calm down the body’s response, and CBD does exactly that.”

CBD — which stands for cannabidiol — can also be purchased in treats like gummies and honey sticks. These offer full-body effects and an energy boost.

“That’s one of the huge advantages of CBD — it does not have side effects. It doesn’t make one nauseous, it doesn’t numb your emotional responsiveness,” Mammadova explained. “You can’t damage your liver if you take it long term, and you can’t overdose with CBD. Because it’s such a natural product, it is safe for consumption.”

The company uses one source for its hemp-based CBD oil — a farm located in North Carolina where the Suess sons Oliver and Marcus work in the business. The hemp is grown, and the oil extracted, in the same facility.

“We want to control the quality,” Suess said. “Oliver does the bulk shipping from up there, and Marcus runs the extraction facility, which is like a brewery for CBD.”

Considering the connection between hemp and the soil, knowing where and how the product is grown and managed is vital.

“The quality of the soil is so important because hemp absorbs everything in the soil. It used to be used to clean the soil from contaminates. That means that anything in the soil becomes part of the plant, and what is in the plant becomes part of the extract,” Mammadova explained. “That’s why you want to keep soil as clean as possible for growing hemp. We also send out samples to an ISO-accredited third party for lab tests, ensuring that the product is high quality.”

Another popular CBD oil product is a line of pain creams specifically designed for tackling localized pain. Creams are combined with either lidocaine or capsaicin to treat pain in two ways.

“Lidocaine and capsaicin are analgesics that will numb the pain for short-term relief. The CBD component goes into the source of the pain and reduces inflammation to keep it from coming back. This is both short- and long-term pain treatment,” Mammadova said. “Capsaicin has additional properties. It is a neuroprotectant. That means it prevents nerves from being damaged. That works well for diabetic neuropathy or for any kind of pain that comes from nerve damage, like sciatic nerve pain or carpal tunnel syndrome.”

For many people, pets are family members who deserve the best of care, like any of their human relatives. Oliver’s Harvest has a line of products to help animals, including dogs, cats and even birds cope with pain and anxiety.

“It actually works faster with pets,” Mammadova said. “They have more receptors that will respond to CBD, so at the first dose, we see results.”

Helping both people and animals is important to the company.

“It fits in with the medical supplies because we already had pet supplies. We have glucometers for diabetic pets, for example. So, it was a natural extension,” Suess said. “We participate in the Noble Paws program, too. For every product that we sell for a pet, we donate a product to a rescue facility.”

Pet products for inflammation, arthritic pain and anxiety come in bacon-flavored tinctures or supplements and peanut butter. The latter is a tasty favorite of dogs that provides a broad-spectrum, full-body effect.

The company is working on additional products, such as a special supplement that combines 10 herbs with CBD to combat anxiety and stress, and another designed for PMS symptoms, including mood swings and cramps. They are also bringing in cigars made with CBD flowers.

CBD oil from hemp comes from the same family of plants that produce marijuana, but there is a key difference.

“The difference between these products and medical marijuana is the THC,” Mammadova said, referring to tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana. “That will impact your functionality through the day because you feel high, you feel euphoric. You do not get those feelings by ingesting CBD; you only get the relief.”

Suess understands the concern of many professionals, including police officers, firefighters and truck drivers, to name a few. He stressed that CBD will not impact them in a negative way.

“We are even working with somebody who is developing CBD to treat addicts. Many addicts get started on opioids because of pain. High-strength CBD works for pain,” Suess said. “There are now quite a few trials going on because CBD is non-addictive. So, you can give CBD to help get addicts off pain medications.”

The Oliver’s Harvest factory outlet store is located at 3361 Fairlane Farms Road in Wellington. The doors are open Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but staff is always happy to answer questions and take orders over the phone and online.

Drop by the warehouse in person and receive a 10 percent discount on your purchase.

For more information about CBD oil products from Oliver’s Harvest, call (866) 634-3134 or visit www.oliversharvest.com.