Today, Go for the Gold is proud to recognize 19 Chicago public schools that have met rigorous standards for food, fitness, and nutrition education set by the HealthierUS School Challenge. Go for the Gold is a partnership of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and HSC with the USDA Midwest and the Illinois State Board of Education Department of Nutrition. The HealthierUS School Challenge is the program that First Lady Michelle Obama is urging schools to take on.
Since the launch of the initiative in August 2010, Go for the Gold has supported Chicago public schools in providing health and wellness programs to answer First Lady Michelle Obama’s call for schools to meet the HealthierUS School Challenge. The challenge includes standards for school food, physical activity, physical education and nutrition education. The campaign builds on the new school food program that CPS rolled out for the 2010-11 school year, which meets and in many cases exceeds the gold standard of the HealthierUS School Challenge.
This year marks the first in the three-year endeavor to support Chicago schools in implementing fitness and nutrition education programs.
“Go for the Gold brings together parents, school leaders, chefs, school nurses, and many others to support schools in providing a healthy environment for Chicago children,” said Rochelle Davis, president and CEO of Healthy Schools Campaign.
The following schools will be recognized for all their hard work in prioritizing health and wellness:
Gold Award of Distinction
Academy for Global Citizenship
Namaste Charter School
Gold Award
Air Force Academy High School
Ana Roque De Duprey Elementary
Cyrus H. McCormick Elementary
Francisco I. Madero Middle School
Irma C Ruiz Elementary School
John A. Walsh Elementary
John C. Burroughs Elementary School
Jose De Diego Elementary Community Academy
Manuel Perez Elementary School
Nathanael Greene Elementary School
Passages Elementary Charter School
Silver Award
Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts & Dual Language
Eli Whitney Elementary School
Sharon Christa McAuliffe Elementary
Bronze Award
Abraham Lincoln Elementary
Hawthorne Elementary Scholastic Academy
Rufus M. Hitch Elementary
“Health and wellness don’t just happen. We are all partners in ensuring that health and wellness are priorities in the educational environment,” said Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. “We view these schools as leaders and models for other schools, and look forward to greater CPS participation in the program in the coming year.”
The celebration represents a milestone as this is the largest number of schools in the Midwest to meet the standards of the HealthierUS School Challenge.
“The Chicago Public Schools’ Go for the Gold campaign supports one of the key goals of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative – to increase the number of schools meeting the HealthierUS School Challenge. The strong foundation these schools have built supports a clear path for our nation’s young people to win the future,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon.
Go for the Gold is supported by a Civic and Business advisory committee chaired by Karen Atwood, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and Terry Mazany, president and CEO of Chicago Community Trust.
To learn more about Go for the Gold, please visit www.goforthegoldCPS.org.
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