Instead of sitting through math or social studies Monday morning, Dryden Middle School students strapped on snowshoes, sampled healthy snacks and played basketball.

The school hosted its first Health and Wellness Day, where students from sixth to eighth grade learned about nutrition and general health during a shortened school day.

Students were active, picking one of about a dozen activities offered by local instructors and health professionals. Activities included Jazzercise, personal training, basketball, meditation, yoga, international games, shelter building and aquatic games.

Eric Guercio, a Dryden school counselor who helped organize the event, said the day was a change of pace for students.

"I'm hoping they take away some ideas of how to make their lives a little healthier," Guercio said. "If you can take away just little things, like grab an apple instead of chips or exercise 20 minutes a day, or if you're having headaches while watching TV, it might be time to go to the optometrist."

All of the students took part in a healthy eating session where they learned about nutrition and portion control. They could try samples of Greek yogurt, provided by Chobani and Byrne Dairy. Cornell Orchards donated about 400 Cameo apples that were topped with granola and yogurt dip.

Down the hall from the cafeteria, the women's and men's basketball coaches from Tompkins Cortland Community College hosted a "Hoop Frenzy" session.

Seventh-grader Daniel Buckholz participated in that activity and said he had fun practicing layups, dribbling and playing knock out.

Around the corner, music from Iggy Azalea was spilling into the hallway and students were "jazzercising," a mix of jazz dance, Pilates, kickboxing and resistance training with Dixie Clark from Cortland and Ithaca Jazzercise centers.

Some students opted to venture outside into the snow to build shelters or go snowshoeing. There wasn't too much snow on the ground, but students with the help of David Hall, of Rural Youth Services, were still able to make a one-person shelter using snow blocks and sticks. Hall said the temperature should be between 30 and 40 degrees in the shelter.

Joseph Snavely, an eighth grader, who squeezed into the little snow shelter said it kept him warm, except for his head, which was touching the snow.

Sixth-grader Taylor Allis chose to go snowshoeing and said she liked getting to meet people in different grades throughout the day.

In and outside the school auditorium, there were different health stations students could visit. One of the most popular stations was the germ station, led by school nurse Cindy Price, where children could see how easily germs are spread. There were also tables where children could learn about dental hygiene, checking vision, about asthma and the effects of tobacco.

School Principal John Birmingham said middle school is an important time for growing and developing and it's a critical age to instill good nutrition and hygiene.

"We're trying to give our kids every advantage we can so while they're in school, they can be as focused as possible learning the (Common Core). Everyone's so focused on the Common Core now. It's like the uncommon core is lost by the wayside, so these are important life lessons," Birmingham said.

Follow Kelsey O'Connor on Twitter @ijkoconnor.

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