How One School District Got Students Moving, Nourishing, and Connecting

In Mendocino County, California, Fort Bragg Unified School District has empowered students to eat healthier, move more, and discover their purpose. This is the result of a years-long investment in their health and well-being.

Since 2021, a coalition of local partners, health leaders, and public health professionals has worked to help Mendocino County residents live longer, healthier lives. Through the generous support of Adventist Health, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County is transforming the places where people learn, live, work, and play—making healthy choices easier in these environments.

When schools join Blue Zones Project, they agree to implement evidence-based practices known to increase well-being. Schools that become Blue Zones Project Approved™ report a range of benefits, from fewer disciplinary issues to improved health awareness and class attendance.

Fort Bragg Unified’s dedication to student well-being birthed a fruitful partnership with Blue Zones Project Mendocino County, producing a range of benefits for local learners.

Winning the District

Fort Bragg Unified has a demonstrated history of prioritizing student well-being. Still, like many other districts, it found some efforts hard to sustain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, teachers across the country were stretched thin, and the prospect of more work was daunting. Still, Joe Aldridge, superintendent of Fort Bragg Unified, recognized that this project could enhance the quality of life among students and staff.

“The pandemic was a miserable time for people in education,” he recalls. “People came out of it needing something to uplift them, so Blue Zones’ holistic approach to health was appealing. For teachers, there was a focus on professional development and fostering the joy of teaching. For students, there was an emphasis on improving connection.”

Sold on the Blue Zones way, Aldridge gave the Blue Zones Project Mendocino County team an opportunity to make their case to all 129 district teachers. “We gave them what we call the Blue Zones Story,” says Michelle Duarte, Office and Events Coordinator. She also eased misgivings by emphasizing what sets this project apart.

“Fort Bragg is a rural community with many silos,” says Duarte, a local herself. “We’ve had many organizations come by, looking pretty at the start, and then leave. So, when we clarified that we do the work, we gather the data, and we have resources, people started to come around.”

In December 2022, Fort Bragg Unified’s Board of Trustees adopted a Resolution of Support, which cleared the way for Blue Zones Project Mendocino County to partner with district schools.

Leaders Go First

One initiative that took a hit during the pandemic was the Fort Bragg Unified Health and Wellness Committee. Blue Zones Project Mendocino County helped the district revive this coalition, which is comprised of school leadership, parents, community members, and now, a Blue Zones Project representative.

The committee now meets quarterly and has done so for over a year. Having a centralized entity devoted to student well-being makes it easier to plan and execute related programs and events.

The committee is also responsible for implementing the district’s enhanced Wellness Policy. Updated in April 2024, it stands out for its wealth of supplementary resources. These materials provide clear, actionable guidelines that families and staff members can use to help students eat better and move more.

Parents’ resources cover everything from healthy meals and snacks to tips to encourage physical activity. Teachers’ guidelines serve to create effective health advocates with no shortage of strategies to motivate and celebrate their students.

Written in both English and Spanish, these materials are freely available on the district’s website. Parents, cafeteria staff, teachers, and administrators across the country can use these best practices to benefit young people in their care.

Before project engagements began, the district rolled out an initiative called Teachers Lead the Way, which served to drum up educators’ excitement and get them invested. Accordingly, they could participate in various health and well-being challenges and self-report their progress. Each month, the school with the highest participation won a trophy.

Intentional Change

Schools that join Blue Zones Project receive a range of best practices known to create positive health outcomes, plus the support to change their environments accordingly. 

Most importantly, schools themselves determine which changes are feasible, based on their capacity and priorities. This could be anything from starting a garden or a walking school bus to bringing healthier options to cafeterias and vending machines. 

With each initiative, schools earn points that bring them closer to achieving the Blue Zones Project Approved designation.

“Being such a small district, we could take a district-wide approach,” says Aldridge. “At the elementary level, we focused on health and nutritional education. Initiatives like Harvest of the Month, where we’d feature accessible produce, highlight the benefits, and even bring in samples.”

Since adolescents value social and emotional experiences, district initiatives for older students centered on connectedness. Fort Bragg Unified created opportunities for students to connect with both staff and each other throughout the day. Moreover, it eliminated cell phone use on its middle and high school campuses.

“Students each get a pouch, and the phones stay there all day,” Aldridge says. “As a result, we’ve seen kids become more socially engaged: playing together and doing age-appropriate things.”

Kids Get Active

Beyond helping schools make changes, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County supported various community events. In October 2023, Redwood and Dana Gray elementary schools began celebrating National Walk and Roll to School Day.

A crowd of people gathered at the local community center and covered the mile distance to both schools, which are just a few feet apart. Students enjoyed fun movement to start the day and learned how easy it is to integrate it into everyday life. And research shows that children who walk or bike to school are more alert and ready to learn.

The attendance of parents, district staff, and community leaders reinforced that messaging, while letting kids know that the community is behind them. “The police chief was there, and he’s a pillar in the community,” notes Duarte. “Plus a horde of officers and firemen.”

Afterward, participants received Blue Zones coloring books and on-theme foot charms to remind them of their achievement.

From Farm to Table

Undoubtedly, Fort Bragg Unified’s farm-to-school initiative is its standout well-being effort. Through close collaboration with Noyo Food Forest, the district provides access to scratch-cooked meals made with fresh local produce.

This arrangement is notable for many reasons. First, Noyo Forest is on-site, which fosters alignment between the district and farmers.

“In other situations, miscommunications can cause farmers to deliver produce that’s not what you actually need,” says Michelle Hutchins, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County Organization Lead. “Districts have strict requirements when it comes to serving sizes, and so forth. So, if a farmer turns up with produce that’s too small, it becomes a logistical nightmare.”

The program is also notable for its equity-conscious engagement of local farmers. In this mutually beneficial arrangement, Fort Bragg Unified allots land to farmers without their own. Instead of paying the district to use it, they pledge a portion of their harvest to school cafeterias.

Thus, progress unfolds across the board. Students enjoy nutritious meals that help them learn and grow. Economically disadvantaged farmers circumvent barriers that may have hindered career and income growth. Indeed, as Blue Zones Project has long recognized, community health efforts are most effective when they are both layered and holistic.

Making Health Sustainable

In addition to learning about the importance of eating healthy meals, Fort Bragg students learned how to make them. With the invaluable help of teachers like Eric Forrester, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County brought a 10-week cooking lab to Big Picture Fort Bragg School.

Cooking is a foundational life skill that increases self-reliance. Consequently, kids who know how to create tasty, nutritious meals are better equipped, and more likely to live a healthy lifestyle as they get older.

Blue Zones Project Mendocino County’s Michelle Duarte recruited her husband, a chef, to help her host cooking demonstrations. Many attendees learned something new. “Some of them had never cut a pineapple or had tofu before,” Duarte recalls.

In imparting students with valuable life skills, the engagement also empowered them to give back to their community. As the last session approached, Duarte asked learners how they wanted to celebrate that milestone. To her surprise, they asked to prepare a feast for the entire school staff.

Led by a student from the local culinary arts school, a multigenerational cohort spent all day preparing to feed over 50 people. This event’s success is a testament to the value of cross-sectoral collaboration.

Because many students in Mendocino County experience food insecurity, the school had an existing relationship with Fort Bragg Food Bank. Thus, food supplies were provided by the food bank, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County and Harvest Market—a local grocery store and Blue Zones partner.

Bringing Health Home

Students were learning food skills at school, but to truly create an environment that supports health and longevity, the Blue Zones Mendocino County team understood that they would have to help students bring these lessons into their homes. Redwood Elementary hosted a two-night positive parenting event. On night one, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County volunteers held a children’s class, which freed parents to receive guidance and resources from school counselor Jodie Schmid.

On night two, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County discussed bringing Blue Zones principles into the household. “I was really moved because these parents work and are tired, but they still showed up,” says Duarte.

“I focused on how to make different concepts work for them, because a busy mom will say, ‘I can’t take my kid on a walk every night.’ So, we highlighted ways to tailor these things to your situation. How can you use these approaches in convenient ways and make them sustainable? What does de-stressing or downshifting look like for you?”

Pursuing Purpose

Beyond building strong bodies and minds, Blue Zones Project Mendocino County sought to ignite students’ spirits. At Big Picture, pupils attended weekly mixed-grade labs that took them through a purpose-finding curriculum. The workshops helped them tune into their passions, skills, and talents and encouraged them to put them to use. Duarte also recruited various guest speakers, who exposed students to different career paths and different paths to fulfillment. Speakers hailed from all walks of life, and many had overcome some kind of adversity. This positioned them to encourage students, share relevant insights, and emphasize the need for resilience.

Because of these intentional, sustained efforts, all five Fort Bragg Unified schools achieved the Blue Zones Project Approved designation by July 2025. Thanks to a diverse group of community stakeholders, young learners are primed for a lifetime of success and well-being.

Nonjabulo Mlangeni is a writer, researcher, and editor based in Los Angeles, California. She focuses on health, equity, and creative nonfiction.