Soaring Heights Elementary Runs Wellness Week
Fifth graders in Joplin combined four classes into a two-week wellness unit that included medical checkups by Kansas City University students.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Health and Wellness
Soaring Heights Elementary in Joplin, Mo., held Wellness Week for fifth graders from Nov. 3 through Nov. 13, 2026. Physical education, art, music and library classes were combined into a two-week unit covering exercise, hygiene, health and online behavior.
Why it matters
The program brings health screening and lessons on exercise, oral health and device use into a single school unit for Joplin students. It shows how multiple subject teachers can coordinate a shared health curriculum around their existing classes.
The program ran for two weeks and combined physical education, art, music and library classes into one wellness unit. The source does not report participation numbers or any results from the height, weight and blood pressure checks.
The players
Soaring Heights Elementary
A public elementary school in Joplin, Missouri, that organized the Wellness Week program for its fifth-grade students.
Kansas City University
A private health sciences university in Kansas City, Missouri, whose medical students visited the school to examine students.
The details
Medical students from Kansas City University examined fifth graders' height, weight and blood pressure during the week. Physical education classes covered muscles, Pacer tests and throwing technique, art introduced Zen-tangles drawing, and music opened with brain breaks and oral health lessons. Students also learned about cyberbullying, responsible device use and avoiding devices at night.
Timeline
Nov. 3, 2026: Wellness Week begins at Soaring Heights Elementary.
Earlier in the week of Nov. 3, 2026: KCU medical students examine fifth graders.
Nov. 13, 2026: Wellness Week ends.
Big Picture
The Joplin program follows the approach of cross-curricular health instruction, in which schools fold wellness topics into existing classes like music and physical education. It is a local example of schools using established subject time to cover health without adding a separate course.
Parents of Joplin fifth graders can ask schools how wellness topics like device use and hygiene are taught in class. Students who took part learned practical habits such as avoiding devices at night and responsible online behavior.
The takeaway
Combining health lessons with existing classes like music and art can make wellness topics easier to fit into a school week. Families can reinforce the device and sleep habits taught in class by setting similar limits at home.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Health and Wellness in Joplin.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KOAM News Now.
