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Americans’ top three New Year’s resolutions circle around fitness: stay fit and healthy (37%), lose weight (32%), and enjoy life to the fullest (28%). Part of our calling as God’s people includes caring for the “temple” God gifted us in our physical bodies. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” Two SJCS teachers and two SJCS parents recently focused on what it means to be a healthy person.

Jackie DenOuden invited SJCS parent and pediatrician, Dr. Charles Owyang, to talk to her class about the circulatory system. He shared some great health visuals to which one insightful 3rd grader queried, ““If I eat more carrots can I have more screen time?”

Middle school science teacher, Melissa Truong, led both 7th and 8th graders through a simulated engineering internship. Students studied body systems, energy, and cellular respiration. Then student pairs created nutrition bars for a post disaster emergency site. SJCS parent Michelle Kunde supported the creations with her knowledge of nutrition and cooking experience. Complex considerations included metabolism, varying needs (workers needed more carbs but the victims needed more protein), cost considerations, and taste. Mrs. Truong shared, “I was most impressed by the reactions the seventh graders had to their bars that didn't taste good. It's where this simulation came to life.” After the simulation Mrs. Truong led students to reflect on the awe and wonder of God in His design. “How can you see evidence of God's creation through the design of our metabolism?" Naomi responded, “God made each of the trillions of the cells in our body. Everything serves such a specific purpose, how elsecould anything have been created by anything/anyone BUT the one and only God? Each cell has a purpose and knows exactly what to do.” Calleigh wrote, “I think that God absolutely is incredible with how he put so much detail in everything around me, and inside me. I really enjoyed learning about cells, because at the same time we really were also learning about God's great creation. I always thought that I just had an average body ya know, but then this year we learned more and more about our bodies and how intricate God made us! I honestly can't wrap my head around how creative God really is. I really want to learn more about this, I am very curious.”