National Heritage Academies Employees Celebrate Safe Office Week During America’s Safe Schools Week

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 24, 2019 — Over the past week, employees at National Heritage Academies (NHA) have been celebrating Safe Office Week with a different themed event each day. This week-long celebration coincides with Safe Schools Week, which has been recognized at the organization’s schools annually for the past seven years.
 
A key highlight of the week included nationally recognized speaker, Michele Gay, co-founder and Executive Director of Safe and Sound Schools leading a conversation with NHA leaders to discuss areas for improvement.
 
“Michele provided valuable insight on the current state of school safety,” said Gard. “She has been a trusted partner in school safety, and we look forward to a continued relationship with her in the future.”
 
Safe Schools Week, led by NHA’s Safety team, serves as a reminder for school leaders to practice school safety as part of their daily routine. For the first time, this event engaged employees at NHA’s Service Center by encouraging employees to spread awareness about the leading safety practices taking place at every NHA school.
 
“Safe Schools Week is a great time to remind our NHA staff, students, and parents of the importance of building safety into every day,” said Brian Gard, director of safety and health at NHA. “At NHA, we don’t just talk safety, we practice safety.”
 
The week also included a fire drill, led by John Babcock, safety specialist lead at NHA. This gave employees the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the safety practices that are in place at our schools.
 
Throughout the day on Wednesday, employees were challenged to snap a selfie with an AED machine or evacuation map as part of NHA’s Safe Schools Week selfie challenge. Employees also were given the chance to become CPR certified through an on-site training session from Heartbeat LLC.
 
“Safety skills learned in the school and work environment are applicable everywhere,” said Gard. “It’s impressive to see what our schools are doing to celebrate this week by creating memorable and fun safety-based activities and events.”
 
 About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies is a network of 88 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 60,000 students in kindergarten- through eighth-grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.