By ANJANETTE LEE
Moapa Valley High School Teacher

Students from the Moapa Valley High School (MVHS) chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) recently concluded the area’s first-ever “Love Your Body Week,” successfully importing the long-running national campaign to local elementary and high school campuses.

The initiative, which has been championed by the NHSDA nationally since the early 2000s, is designed to promote body positivity, encourage self-acceptance and celebrate the diverse capabilities of the human body.

The week commenced with NHSDA members visiting Bowler Elementary School, engaging with kindergarten and first-grade classes. The high schoolers facilitated a discussion centered around self-acceptance and body diversity, using two carefully selected books as a starting point. Following the reading, the dancers focused on movement, encouraging the younger students to explore and create various shapes with their bodies, culminating in a popular game of freeze dance.

On the MVHS campus, the campaign targeted engagement across the student body. One key activity involved students signing a large poster, where they shared affirmations about their bodies and listed the positive actions their bodies allowed them to perform.

Midweek saw a spirit-day style participation drive, where each class was assigned a specific color to wear. The incentive for the high participation rate was a small, heart-shaped lollipop distributed to those who took part.

The week of activities concluded with NHSDA chapter members distributing promotional stickers bearing affirmative messages, such as “all bodies are good bodies” and “every body is beautiful,” ensuring the campaign’s central theme resonated throughout the student population.

The success of this inaugural event sets a new precedent for promoting wellness and positive self-image within the Moapa Valley school system.