Stories, Smiles, and Service: An Experiential Day of Healthy Learning at J. Zamora Elementary School
Raphael L. Aquino is a Rose Service Learning Fellow and a Master of Public Health candidate in Generalist field of study .
On February 23, 2026, J. Zamora Elementary School transformed into a space filled with laughter, curiosity, and kid energy. Across classrooms, 240 kindergarten students discovered that caring for their teeth can be fun, empowering, and within their control.
This dental hygiene outreach went far beyond a single visit. I led this initiative as part of my Rose Service Learning Fellowship at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where I focus on advancing children’s health literacy through storytelling, education, and community engagement. Through this work, I explore how culturally relevant children’s books and interactive learning experiences can make health education more accessible, memorable, and meaningful.
This initiative also reflects the mission of The LAB Project, a partner nonprofit, to expand health literacy and access to books and health resources for underserved children. With support from the Rose Service Learning Fellowship, I turned this idea into a fully realized, community-centered initiative in partnership with J. Zamora Elementary School and The LAB Project. What began as a vision became a shared experience rooted in learning, connection, and community.
We engaged all kindergarten students in a storytelling-based dental health session using The LAB Project’s children’s books, which we translated into Tagalog, the Philippines’ national language. When children hear health lessons in their own language and through relatable characters, the message resonates more deeply. The story becomes memorable. The lesson becomes personal.
Mr. Rey Bufi, Executive Director of The Storytelling Project, joined the Zamora kindergarten teachers and The LAB Project team to bring the stories to life. Together, they used expressive voice, movement, props and energy to teach key dental hygiene concepts. They showed students why brushing matters, how cavities form, and how daily habits protect their smiles. Students mimicked brushing motions in the air, laughed together, and stayed fully engaged. Learning felt alive.
This experience went beyond storytelling. It created true experiential learning.
After the session, we gave each student a book, a dental hygiene kit, and healthy snacks. Students immediately put their learning into practice. With toothbrushes and toothpaste in hand, they followed each step and practiced proper brushing techniques. What began as imagination turned into action. Students did not just hear about healthy habits. They practiced them, experienced them, and took ownership of them.
To better understand the impact of this approach, we conducted a simple pre- and post-session survey assessment with the students. The results showed meaningful improvements in key areas of dental health knowledge. Understanding brushing duration (2 minutes) increased significantly, with correct responses rising from 55.81% before the session to 84.78% afterward. Knowledge of brushing before bed improved from 90.70% to 94.57%, while awareness of brushing the tongue increased from 81.40% to 89.13%. Students already demonstrated strong baseline knowledge in areas such as morning brushing and recognizing healthy foods, which remained consistently high after the session.
These results reinforced what we observed in the classroom: storytelling combined with hands-on learning can significantly strengthen children’s understanding of health behaviors, particularly in areas with lower baseline knowledge.
We also extended the impact beyond the students. The day before the event, Mr. Bufi led a dedicated training session for kindergarten teachers, sharing storytelling techniques and delivery strategies. This session strengthened teachers’ confidence and gave them tools to sustain engaging health education in their classrooms. The stories, skills, and energy will continue long after the program ends.
Thirty committed volunteers made this initiative possible. They organized materials, supported students, distributed more than 500 pounds of books and supplies, and demonstrated how to correctly brush teeth using props. Each child left not only inspired but also equipped with tools to reinforce healthy habits at home.
This work is deeply personal to me.
I grew up in a low-income community in Pandacan, Manila, the same community where J. Zamora Elementary School is located. I had limited access to books, and no one taught health education at home or in school. I did not fully understand basic health concepts until I reached high school. When I reflect on that experience, I often think about how different things could have been if I had had access earlier, if learning had felt engaging and accessible, and if it had been part of my daily life.
In many ways, I see myself in the children we served.
As I grew older, I witnessed the long-term consequences of that lack of access. Friends from my community died in their 30s and 40s from heart and kidney failure, often without understanding how diet and lifestyle affected their health. Others lost their teeth at a young age. Some lost teeth in their teens and twenties, and by their forties, many had lost most of them. These were not statistics. These were people I knew. People I grew up with.
At the same time, my mother shaped my understanding of service. People in our community turned to her when they needed help. She showed up, offered support, and stood beside others without hesitation. Watching her taught me what it means to serve with compassion and to give back in meaningful ways.
These experiences led me to focus on children and schools. Early access matters. When we introduce health education early and deliver it in ways that feel engaging, culturally relevant, and empowering, we shape lifelong habits. Schools provide trusted environments where children learn, grow, and build routines, making them powerful spaces for lasting impact.
Working in the Philippines brought this work full circle. I saw firsthand the importance of meeting communities where they are and of respecting language, culture, and lived experience. I also learned that effective community engagement requires more than delivering solutions. It requires listening, partnering, and building alongside the community. This experience strengthened my belief that leadership begins with service, humility, and a commitment to creating opportunities that I once lacked.
Through my collaboration with J. Zamora Elementary School, The LAB Project, and The Storytelling Project, this Rose Service Learning Fellowship initiative became more than a single event. It became a shared investment in children’s health literacy, teacher empowerment, and community partnership.
On that February morning, 240 young learners brushed their teeth with intention and pride. In that moment, they took their first steps toward lifelong healthy habits, one joyful brushstroke at a time.
A Note of Gratitude
I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the Rose Service Learning Fellowship and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for making this project possible. Their commitment to experiential, community-engaged learning empowers Fellows to translate vision into meaningful impact. Because of their support, we were able to serve 240 young students, strengthen teacher capacity, mobilize 30 volunteers, and deliver over 500 pounds of books and essential supplies.
The Fellowship does more than fund projects. It nurtures leadership, service, and the belief that education and community partnership can transform lives. I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to serve as a Rose Service Learning Fellow and to carry this mission forward.
