Setting goals in academics, sports, or maybe even future careers is something many people do, but health classes on campus are looking at a different kind of goal, aiming to improve the overall health of students.

“Students are creating short-term personal health goals using the S.M.A.R.T goal process, health teacher Dawnielle Kiel said. “They will then try to complete their goal over a two-three week period and reflect on their progress.”

Students create a goal for their mental, physical, or social health and are encouraged to try their SMART goal in their daily life.

“My goal is to be exercising for three hours and to drink healthy fluids,” freshmen Suraj Selvaraju said. “The long-term goal of this assignment is to be in better shape. I hope for the best to maintain my goal and not throw it away.”

Each day students will complete a form explaining if they met their goal that day.

“I chose to challenge myself to drink about 125 oz of water a day for two weeks,” senior Zander Perales said. “I hope I will have fewer headaches and feel less tired every day. This will also help me get into better health habits that I can apply later in life. I hope to encourage myself to drink the recommended amount of water each day for the rest of my life.”

The purpose of the assignment extends beyond the two to three weeks and, if maintained, aims to improve the student’s health for the rest of their life.

“Students learn how to set personal life-long health goals that will lead them to live healthier lives,” Kiel said. “The goal is for students to hopefully adopt the short-term goal that they have set, turn it into a long-term goal, and eventually into a healthy lifestyle habit.”