After earning a spot on the America’s Healthiest Schools list for the first time last year, the school community of Bird Rock Elementary set out to reach all-star status.
With help from its Wellness Committee, the school achieved that goal this year.
The La Jolla-based Bird Rock Elementary was recently and officially designated as one of 1,376 of America’s Healthiest Schools across 35 participating states (and Washington, D.C.) and one of only 200 schools in the nation to be recognized as an all-star. The yearly list is presented by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and announced in the fall.
“At Bird Rock Elementary, we think of wellness as acting, eating and thinking right,” said principal Eric Banatao. “Any time we have happy, healthy, well-adjusted students in attendance it makes for better learners and better learning. To join the … all-stars is a welcomed honor and recognition, and to be in the elite group across the nation is a tremendous honor.”
Healthiest School honorees are recognized for their commitment to supporting the physical, mental and social-emotional well-being of its students, staff and families. The exclusive all-star designation is handed to schools that excel in all nine topics related to student and staff health:
• Strengthening social-emotional health and learning
• Supporting social health services
• Promoting tobacco-free schools
• Improving nutrition and food access
• Implementing local school wellness policy
• Cultivating staff well-being
• Increasing family and community engagement
• Bolstering physical education and activity
• Enriching health education
One of the driving forces behind Bird Rock Elementary’s health and wellness success is its Wellness Committee, which consists of Banatao, a handful of teachers, a pair of community members or parents and 14 student ambassadors.
This past year, the group was co-chaired by parent volunteer Wendy Bazilian and BRE guidance counselor Keri Paton.
Bird Rock Elementary School physical education teacher Ryan Weiss, principal Eric Banatao and second graders Layla DiCerbo and Calli Bazilian are part of the school’s Wellness Committee. (Wendy Bazilian)
“We came into the school year knowing that we’ve gotten recognized (in 2025),” Bazilian said. “So we said, ‘let’s really charge ahead.’ … We really kept our sights on the idea that we would look into different areas and see if and where (we can improve).”
Bazilian said having an especially driven group of student members helped them see their goals through.
“They helped us discover and document what was happening, they shared their ideas and they actively participated,” Bazilian said. “And that’s something that we really hope will continue to grow.”
Two of those students were second graders Layla DiCerbo and Calli Bazilian. Both have been active participants on the committee since the 2025-2026 school year.
“I wanted to be part of the … Wellness Committee because the school helps us in a lot of ways and I wanted to do something in return for the school,” Calli said. “I also wanted to watch the committee grow and do new things.”
Layla added that she joined to improve the student experience and because she said it’s fun.
One new initiative that grew out of the Wellness Committee is Wellness Wednesdays, a segment in which student ambassadors pre-write wellness tips for their fellow classmates and share them over the loudspeaker during Banatao’s morning announcements.
Bird Rock Elementary School second graders Layla DiCerbo and Calli Bazilian prepare for a Wellness Wednesday segment as part of the school’s morning announcements on Aug. 26. (Wendy Bazilian)
Ambassadors have also participated in various full-school assemblies, giving additional wellness tips to their peers.
Being recognized for their efforts is something both Layla and Calli celebrated.
“The America’s Healthiest School award makes me feel so proud of our school because I think we are doing such a good job and we can always improve too,” Layla said.
“It feels so good to be an all-star, helping people and schools by participating,” Calli added.
Bazilian says achieving all-star status during a time of change at Bird Rock is particularly notable.
Bird Rock Elementary broke ground on its over $25 million whole-site modernization project earlier this year.
The project calls for a new, one-story kindergarten building; a singular point-of-entry administration building visible from the street; and a two-story building with nine classrooms. Plans also include a new play yard and a shade structure on the east side of campus. Phase one, tentatively scheduled for construction through August 2027, includes demolishing several buildings, upgrading library fire alarms and readying the central campus for construction.
“It felt really meaningful because we’re in the midst of this major, multi-year campus construction project (in) which our physical environment is changing dramatically around us,” Bazilian said. “But our commitment to health and well-being for the students, staff, families and community of La Jolla … is one of the things I’m personally proud (of) as a parent.”
More wellness-related efforts are expected to take place this semester. One recent idea pitched from student ambassadors is in-classroom suggestion boxes. There, kids can either voice their ideas for incorporating wellness into their classes or share what teachers and staff are doing well.
The only other La Jolla cluster school to make it onto the America’s Healthiest Schools list is La Jolla Elementary School, which was recognized in the category of physical education and activity.
See the full list at healthiergeneration.org/campaigns/americas-healthiest-schools.