Amanda Gerson Career Portfolio

HealthCorps was started in 2003 by Dr. Oz and his wife to combat childhood obesity.

Mission

To implement an innovative school-based model that inspires teens to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. 

The HealthCorps curriculum is comprised of three sections:

1. Mental Resilience

2. Nutrition 

3. Fitness

Benson High School in NE Portland, OR is one of the 62 high schools across the nation lucky enough to have the HealthCorps program. The program is embedded into the health curriculum for freshman at Benson High School. During my rotation at Benson, working with the HealthCorps program director for the school, I was able to work alongside a fellow intern developing nutrition education classes for freshman students. The basic knowledge to read and understand a food label is something that many adolescents lack. Teaching students who are beginning to make their own food choices how to read and interpret the information on a nutrition facts label is crucial in making healthy choices. Below is the lesson plan that was developed aiming to increase students' knowledge and understanding of reading a nutrition label.