St. Mary’s High School continues its focus on the importance of students’ mental health and overall well-being. In doing so, they have added a new position at the school, naming Alyssa Cometto, MS, RDN, CDN the Dietitian-Nutritionist. In addition to being an important resource for the school as a whole, Cometto will work closely with the St. Mary’s Center for Career and College Counseling, Health Department, as well as the Athletic Department in the Lancer Sports Performance Lab.
Mental health is a top priority at St. Mary’s High School, so the school is dedicated to investing more resources to benefit the student body and bolster the Center for Career and College Counseling. Through the Center, Cometto will work with students on the role food plays in their overall physical well-being and will work in conjunction with the counselors to identify any potential disordered eating habits among students. She will also work with freshmen and transfer students to ensure they are dealing with the transition in a healthy way. Cometto will also be available to work with St. Mary’s staff and families to create plans that foster better nutrition habits at home as well.
Cometto will play a big role in the Health Department as part of St. Mary’s Adjunct Professor Program. Cometto will serve as a guest lecturer in health classes, engaging students with real world nutrition applications and practices to implement into their daily lives. She will also serve as a resource for students looking to get into the Dietitian and Nutrition fields of study.
Through the Athletic Department and Sports Performance Lab, Cometto will work with Athletic Director Zach Weiss and full-time Athletic Trainer Tim Williams to suggest tailored nutrition plans for individual teams and student athletes. Nutrition is a key part to proper preparation and recovery, and oftentimes overlooked in high school athletics.
Cometto brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to St. Mary’s. She is the founder and CEO of Fabulous Nutrition. She has worked with both individual and corporate clients. Cometto holds a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from D’Youville College. She also is a graduate of St. Mary’s High School, as a member of the Class of 2006. Cometto is excited to have the opportunity to come back to her alma mater and work in a field she’s passionate about: “Nutrition and wellness are broad and diverse fields. My two favorite areas within these fields are the culinary arts and mental wellness,” Cometto said. “I am looking forward to being able to work with the students at St. Mary’s to support their food choices and help in any way I can to improve each student’s overall wellness – whether that be physically or mentally,” she concluded.
The St. Mary’s community is equally excited to have Cometto on board: “Alyssa will be an invaluable resource for our students, families, staff, and St. Mary’s community at large,” Head of School Kevin Kelleher said. “We will really be able to utilize all of her knowledge about nutrition, the best way to fuel the body, and how nutrition has a direct correlation to mental wellness. She really adds a whole new layer to our already-dynamic counseling, academic, and athletic programs that has never been filled before at St. Mary’s or anywhere else really. We are thrilled to have Alyssa come on board and can’t wait for her to become a part of all of the exiting things we have going on here,” Kelleher concluded.
Cometto’s business, Fabulous Nutrition, LLC serves the entire Western New York area. You can learn more about it here, www.fabulous-nutrition.com.