Healthy Schools Campaign

Cooking up Change with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel!

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel with the Cooking up Change team from Chicago Vocational Career Academy

Today, the winning team of student chefs from Cooking up Change Chicago shared the school lunch they designed with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel!

The mayor enjoyed seconds of the award-winning meal of oven-fried chicken, sautéed cabbage and collard greens and sweet potato salad created by students from Chicago Vocational Career Academy.

"It felt good to see him enjoy our lunch," said team member Sheanice Dishmon. "It was a new experience because I had the opportunity to sit with him and enjoy the meal our team created together."

As part of Cooking up Change, the students created their meal to meet strong nutrition standards on a tight budget, comparable to that of school food service. Limited to ingredients that school dining managers in Chicago Public Schools can order for school lunch, the students took advantage of an ingredient that is new this year: drumsticks from chicken raised without antibiotics on Amish farms in nearby Indiana. In May, the team will prepare this lunch when they compete in the Cooking up Change national finals in Washington, DC. Chef Instructor Lorraine Harris said Mayor Emanuel told the students "we’re going to win and bring that victory to Chicago!”

Congratulations to the student chefs and thanks to Mayor Emanuel for spotlighting their great work!

P.S. Check out the Mayor's Facebook page and his congratulatory words to the team.

Make sure you like the Healthy Schools Campaign's Facebook page as well!

Moving Forward for School Food & Fitness Following Chicago Public Schools' Recent Ethics Investigation

by Rochelle Davis, President and CEO

By now many who follow school food in Chicago have heard about the recent ethics investigation at Chicago Public Schools focused on the school nutrition department and the companies that provide food service to the district. Following this investigation, CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard has called for Louise Esaian, head of school nutrition for CPS, to be fired. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has publicly supported this position, and the Board of Education is expected to make the official decision at its board meeting on March 28.

As we have worked closely with CPS and Ms. Esaian over the past few years to make significant changes to the food and fitness environment in Chicago schools, I want to let you know how we plan to move forward given this change.

HSC remains committed to working with CPS to make ongoing improvements to school food and physical activity across the district. In its search for a new director of school nutrition, we encourage the district to identify leaders who will be able to build on recent progress for healthy school food and continue to make important changes prioritizing student health. Moving forward, HSC will:

• Continue to work at the school level with CPS staff, principals and school stakeholders to challenge and support all CPS schools as they strive to meet the school food, nutrition education, physical activity and physical education requirements of the HealthierUS School Challenge.
• Continue to work with CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and other district leaders on district-wide initiatives including reinstating recess, improving PE, incorporating health into the new school improvement planning process, and supporting the integration of health and wellness into the longer school day.
• Continue to support improvements to the school meal program, building on advances made to date including the breakfast program, expanding the district’s local procurement program and continuing to advocate for food that is grown and raised in a healthful way.

We realize that some of our efforts may be impacted by this change in leadership, but we are committed to working with CPS on health-promoting initiatives for all students.  I am  confident that the broad set of relationships we have established throughout the district and the city will serve us well during this transition. 

As we continue our efforts to improve the food and fitness environment in Chicago schools, I  hope that the school, business and community leaders we work with in this effort will remain committed to supporting student health and wellness.

Is It Really Mystery Meat? What Can You Do? Pink Slime in School Meals

By Mark Bishop, vice president of policy and communications

School food advocates, parents and media have been abuzz the last week with the news that the USDA has purchased 7 million pounds of “pink slime” for inclusion in school meals. Also sold under the name “boneless lean beef trimmings,” this beef filler is composed of connective tissue and other beef parts that are processed and treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill bacteria and prevent food-borne contamination. 

While fast food giants McDonald’s and Taco Bell stopped using pink slime after public outcry earlier this year, the USDA has approved the product as safe for consumption. Ammonium hydroxide is considered a processing agent and is not required to be listed on food labels. Generally, the “pink slime” is mixed with other ground beef and processed into foods such as hamburgers. 

How bad is it? It might technically be safe but it’s certainly not something we want to see served in the cafeteria. We need to move school meals in the direction of real, less-processed food, not the type of highly processed products that need to be treated with ammonia. I hope the public outcry around this issue brings us one step closer to a food system that supports schools in serving healthy, less-processed meals with ingredients we understand. 

Dr. John Torres, quoted in USA Today, explains it like this: "The big concern is that this is a chemically processed food, it doesn't have nearly the nutrients of normal beef. . . It's one of those things, 'Do I want my child to have this?' On a short-term, moderate basis: maybe. On a long-term basis: no."

As a parent, I was relieved to learn that Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where my son attends kindergarten, does not include “pink slime” in the food it serves. CPS procures its beef from J.T.M. Food Group. Brian Hofmeier, senior director of school sales for J.T.M. Food Group confirmed that the food processor, “does not use ammonium hydroxide in [their] process and [they] do not purchase material from any suppliers that use ammonium hydroxide in their process.”

It’s good to know that some districts are avoiding the “slime” but many are not, as evidenced by the 7 million pound USDA purchase. 

What can you do about the issue? We urge everyone who cares about healthy school to:

Talk with your school food service director. Learn what the school food leaders in your district are doing to meet nutritional guidelines and make food healthy and appealing to students.

Raise your voice. HSC friend Bettina Siegel of The Lunch Tray has created a petition calling for an end to pink slime in school food. You can learn more and add your name here.

Learn about school food innovation efforts. Learn more about efforts to transform school food through HSC’s upcoming webinars and events on school food innovation. These exciting discussions provide a national policy perspective and highlight the efforts of on-the-ground players who are making changes with important and far-reaching results. For more information about school food, check out our latest webinar and event series. 

The effort to create a new future for school food is about more than one ingredient. But in this case, one ingredient with a particularly appalling nickname is creating an uproar that can help us all think about how important it is to serve healthy, real food for lunch. 

Today’s Chicago Tribune Story on Chicago Public Schools Food Service

Update (March 23, 2012): As many readers know, the initial Chicago Tribune article discussed in this post has been followed by several stories in the Tribune and one in the Chicago Sun-Times detailing select findings from the Inspector General’s report. The most recent development is a retraction from the Chicago Tribune of a number of key facts in their story about the Inspector General’s findings. In this most recent article, the Tribune reported that the value of the gifts exchanged was “far less than stated” in the original article and that they wrongly reported that certain expenses were charged on school nutrition director Louise Esaian’s CPS credit card when in fact they were on Ms. Esaian’s personal credit card.  The Inspector General’s report has not yet been made public. This story continues to unfold; we will share updates as more information is available. To read about HSC's efforts moving forward, click here.

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by Rochelle Davis, President and CEO

This morning, readers of the Chicago Tribune found a front-page story reporting that the Inspector General for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is investigating allegations that Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, the company that provides food service to many CPS schools, gave gifts to a high-ranking CPS employee, in possible violation of the district’s ethics policy.  

HSC has worked closely with CPS on making improvements to their food program, and Chartwells-Thompson has been a long-time sponsor of our Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest. I’d like to share some additional background about HSC's work with both of these organizations.

The article discusses Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality’s community involvement and mentions that Healthy Schools Campaign is one of the organizations, in addition to After School Matters, that receives support from Chartwells-Thompson. As many readers  know, Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality has been a sponsor of Cooking up Change, Healthy Schools Campaign’s annual culinary competition, for many years. Through this sponsorship, Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality has donated a total of $111,500 to Healthy Schools Campaign over five years, beginning in 2007. Cooking up Change focuses on HSC’s effort to engage high school culinary students in the movement for healthy school food.

HSC has also worked closely with CPS and by extension with Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality to make improvements to the school food program in Chicago. These improvements include more fresh fruit and vegetables, more whole grains and more freshly-prepared food in school meals, a large farm-to-school program and other health-promoting changes. Through this work, we have seen leaders at CPS and at Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality make important decisions about school food that prioritize children’s health. There is still much work to be done in this area, and I hope that everyone involved -- at CPS, at Chartwells-Thompson, and at schools across the city -- will remain focused on continued progress for healthy school food.

In response to the alleged ethics violations discussed in the Tribune, we will wait until the Inspector General completes his investigation and we learn what this investigation determines before we comment. We are glad that CPS has critical systems in place to make sure that decisions made by its employees are in the best interest of the district’s students.

We are continuing our efforts to improve school food in Chicago and hope that the school, business and community leaders we work with in this effort will remain focused on improvements that are so important for children’s health.

Healthy Children, Healthy Planet: Why We Care About School Food

We’ve teamed up with PEW Charitable Trusts and Whole Foods Market to present a dynamic discussion on school food entitled, “Healthy Children, Healthy Planet: Why We Care About School Food.” The free panel discussion will take place next Wednesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. and again on Thursday, March 15 at 10 a.m. at Whole Foods Market Lincoln Park located at 1550 North Kingsbury Street.

“Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” will examine the factors that work alongside each other in the lunchroom and provide a behind-the-scenes look at efforts to ensure school food is good for students and the planet in one of the largest school districts in the country.

“Healthy school food nourishes students’ well-being and potential, but it should also sustain the livelihood of local farmers and the environment,” said Healthy Schools Campaign president and CEO Rochelle Davis. “We are honored to bring together respected voices to showcase efforts to move nutritious meals and healthy school communities forward.”

Chicago is quickly emerging as a center for school food innovation. Earlier this year, Chicago Public Schools began serving scratch-cooked chicken, using unprocessed chicken from the USDA and unprocessed chicken raised without antibiotics on an Amish farm in Indiana. This effort builds upon a history of ground-breaking initiatives to improve school meals.

“Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” panels include Rochelle Davis, president and CEO and Mark Bishop, vice president of policy and communications for Healthy Schools Campaign; Angela Odoms-Young, PhD, assistant professor for UIC College of Applied Health Sciences; Rich Wolf, regional meat coordinator for Whole Foods Market; Dr. Lance Price, director at TGen North Center for Metagenomics; and Annie Lionberger, Manager of Health and Wellness Promotion for Chicago Public Schools.

We encourage parents, supporters, and advocates to register for the March 14 panel here and for the March 15 panel here.

We look forward to you joining the discussion!

Why Is Parents United for Healthy Schools Important?

Recently, Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuela Saludables hosted its sixth Principals’ Breakfast to celebrate the collaborative achievements of parents and principals working together to create healthy schools through wellness. Healthy Schools Campaign created the parent-led group to bring together parents and community advocates with the shared goal of promoting school wellness.

At the breakfast, several advocates discussed Parents United’s efforts to connect parents and school leaders. Check out this video:

 
Parents play an integral role in creating healthy school environments. Last year, more than half of the Chicago schools that were recognized for meeting the health and wellness standards of the HealthierUS School Challenge achieved this milestone with the support of parent-driven wellness teams.

Thanks to all of the parents who shared their voices.

What does parent leadership mean to you?

For more information about Parents United, check out our Parents United blog updates.

Go for the Gold Website: New Online Resources for School Food & Fitness

Parents, teachers, principals and other school leaders ready to take on the HealthierUS School Challenge now have a new place to turn for practical advice, tools and resources: the Go for the Gold online resource center (GoForTheGoldCPS.org).

The site was created with advice from schools that have overcome challenges to promote wellness as part of Go for the Gold, a partnership of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Healthy Schools Campaign to support schools in meeting the high standards for food, fitness and nutrition education set by the HealthierUS School Challenge, a cornerstone of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.

At the heart of the site is a “Become a Healthier School” toolkit focused on: 

• school lunch and breakfast
• nutrition education 
• in-school snacks, rewards, celebrations and fundraising (competitive foods) 
• recess and in-classroom physical activity
• physical education
• school policy
• building a team

. . . and more. 

These sections feature easy-to-understand explanations of the challenge requirements plus ideas for getting started, case studies from diverse schools and downloadable tip sheets to share with a team. Chicago schools will also find an overview of CPS policy on each issue and links to local organizations that can bring resources to support schools’ efforts.

The site features specific tips for parents, teachers, principals, students, school staff and community organizations on making change and championing wellness at school. 

Learn more and check out this free resource center at GoForTheGoldCPS.org.  

P.S - One of the best parts of the site is the chance to hear success stories and innovative advice from school leaders who have created healthy environments. Check out their stories here. 

Media Spotlights Student Chefs of Cooking up Change Chicago

Just last month, the school lunch created by the winning Cooking up Change Chicago team from Chicago Vocational Career Academy -- a tasty, healthy meal of oven-fried chicken, leafy greens and cabbage, and sweet potato salad -- was served to more than 20,000 Chicago Public high school students across the city. We'd like to thank national publication N'Digo and local newspapers including Chicago Defender, Southeast Chicago Observer, and Chicago Citizen for spotlighting the CVCA team. We'd also like to shout out NBC 5 and Power 92's "Sam Sylk Show" for coming out to share highlights from the school.

Winning Cooking up Change Chicago meal

Last fall, the CVCA crew competed against eleven teams of students chefs challenged to create a healthy school meal on a tight budget at Cooking up Change. More than 700 supporters came to taste these delicious student-created meals. School lunch blogger Mrs. Q was among the many supporters who spoke with students about changing the future of school food. National honorary co-chair Christie Vilsack attended the event to commend students’ efforts to rewrite the recipe for school food.

CVCA accepts Cooking up Change award!

Student chef Shaenice Dishmon is interviewed by NBC news at CVCA.

The students proudly shared their stories! Check out some of the media highlights below.

• Chicago Citizen - "CVCA student chefs serve winning dish, headed to nationals"
• Chicago Defender - "Students prepare healthy lunch"
• Medill - "CPS student 'chefs' serve award-winning lunch"
• WLS-TV (ABC 7) - "Vocational students to feed 20,000 CPS students"
• True Star Magazine - "Cooking up Change"
• Fed Up With Lunch – “Cooking up Change (Parts 1, 2 and 3)”
• Our Urban Times – “Roberto Clemente placed second Cooking Up Change contest”
• WLS-TV (ABC 7) – “Chef Matt Eversman of OON Chicago” 
• Vocalo – "Are You Fed Up With Lunch?"
• Now You Know – “Cooking Up Change: Students Transforming the Future of School Food” 
• WGN-AM 720 "Extension 720" – "Fed Up with Lunch"
• Reclama – “Campana para almuerzo saludables” 
• U.S. News & World Report - Students Compete to Design Better Lunches 

 

Sam Sylk interviews David Blackmon at CVCA

Congratulations to the talented student chefs who participated in Cooking up Change!

Darwin Elementary Joins Go for the Gold with Inspiration from Parents United for Healthy Schools

It is always our pleasure to spotlight the great work of parents, particularly those driven to create change within schools and community. We caught up with Charles Darwin Elementary School parent coordinator Inez Diaz at a recent Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuela Saludables meeting. 

Diaz, a Puerto Rican immigrant, worked with the Logan Square neighborhood school for more than 20 years as a parent volunteer before taking a staff position. Upon coming to Chicago, she did not speak a word of English and was scared because she didn’t know anything about the public school system here. When her daughter attended Darwin, she was encouraged to attend local school council meetings and become a parent volunteer. Now, she encourages other parents by providing resources for parents to get involved. 

With this experience, Diaz decided to go back to school to study education. When she completed her studies, she was faced with deciding between teaching and working with parents.

“I love the kids, but I want to be with the parents,” she said. “If we get good parents, we get better students.”

Diaz views creating mentors and keeping other parents motivated as essential parts of her job. So when she encountered Parents United campaign manager Jovita Flores, she was intrigued. “Every time I went to meetings, I saw Jovita]passing out fliers about healthy lifestyle choices and the First Lady!” she explained. Soon after, Darwin principal Mauricio Esteban Segovia encouraged Diaz to attend the sixth annual Principals’ Breakfast. 

“When I heard the stories from the other schools and parents, I thought, ‘why aren’t we doing this?’” she said. From that point, eager Darwin parents pushed to get involved. The parent leader was particularly motivated by the stories and the inspiring vision for school wellness she heard from other parents at the breakfast. “This is our goal now and we going to go for the gold!” she said.

The next day, Darwin moved quickly and is currently in the process of joining more than 30  schools in Chicago in meeting the high standards for school food and fitness set by the HealthierUS School Challenge with the support of Go for the Gold and Parents United! This includes nutrition education for parents and students and implementing structured recess. “For me, as an employee and a parent, it would be an honor and a privilege" to meet this challenge, she said. "I don’t have words for it... amazing!”

Diaz sees a healthy school environment as a priority. “If you have healthy people, they can function better. If they’re healthy, they can do more stuff.” 

Darwin Elementary parents with parent coordinator Inez Diaz (center) at Parents United meeting

The entire school community is enthusiastic about changes to promote wellness, Diaz said. She added that the physical education teacher was happy to help her lead the school wellness charge and support the effort. The science teacher is on board to incorporate in-class wellness. She credits Principal Segovia’s leadership in creating a healthy school environment. 

Keep up the great work, Darwin! 

To learn more about Chicago parents’ efforts to improve health and wellness, check out our Parents United for Healthy Schools blog updates. You can also learn about how the Go for the Gold campaign supports school food and fitness here.

What Do Healthy Schools Mean to You?

Recently, Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuela Saludables hosted its sixth Principals’ Breakfast to celebrate the collaborative achievements of parents and principals working together to create healthy schools through wellness. Healthy Schools Campaign created the parent-led group to bring together parents and community advocates with the shared goal of promoting school wellness.

At this celebration, we asked several parents to share their definition of a healthy school environment. Check out the video below to hear what these dedicated parent leaders had to say.

They pointed out what every child deserves: an environment where they can learn healthy habits, are provided with healthy school food and exercise, and connect with resources to share with their families.

 

Thanks to all of the parents who shared their voices.

What do healthy schools mean to you?

Follow the Parents United updates on our blog to learn more about their school wellness efforts.

Today: Student-Designed School Lunch Served to 20,000+ Chicago High School Students

CVCA culinary students Ciara Lawton, Sheanice Dishmon, Kaliah Hunter, Diamonte Baugh, Tatiana Rice and Jerome Sims

When high school students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) line up for lunch today, they may be surprised to learn the recipe for the lunch on their tray was created by chefs who are young students like themselves. In November, the team of culinary students from Chicago Vocational Career Academy won HSC’s flagship Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest, which challenges high school student chefs to create healthy, great-tasting school meals. Today, the meal those students designed will be served for lunch to more than 20,000 students in high scools throughout CPS.

Student chefs Diamonte Baugh, Sheanice Dishmon, Kaliah Hunter, Ciara Lawton, Tatiana Rice, and Jerome Sims created a meal of oven-fried chicken, leafy greens and cabbage with sweet potato salad to take top honors at the contest, where they competed against teams from 11 other Chicago high schools.

“I liked Cooking up Change because everyone is working together to find things we like to eat,” said student chef Kaliah Hunter of her experience.

The CVCA team used an ingredient that is new to CPS cafeterias this year: unprocessed chicken raised without antibiotics on Amish farms in Indiana. All student teams in Cooking up Change used frozen local produce procured through the CPS farm to school program. All meals in the contest met the cost and nutrition requirements for Chicago Public Schools meals -- that is, meeting the gold standard of the HealthierUS School Challenge, a cornerstone of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, for about a dollar per meal -- and used only ingredients available in school food service.

“Cooking up Change provides talented culinary students with an opportunity to transform how their peers, community, and families think about school food,” said Rochelle Davis, HSC president and CEO. “Their creativity reflects Chicago Public Schools’ history of school food innovation, including the recent move to include scratch-baked chicken in school lunches, a milestone in the district’s progress with school meals.”

Cooking up Change engages culinary students in Chicago Public Schools’ department of college and career preparation as well as the broader community in a dialogue about school food reform and the need for more resources for our nation’s school meal program.

The winners of the Chicago contest will compete in the national finals in Washington, D.C. in May 2012.  Student-designed lunches from the contest have been served in schools across the country as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives cafeteria. Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama met with and commended the national winners during a visit to Jacksonville, where she praised their efforts to promote healthy school food.  

“I am just so excited to see the kids cooking, the excitement in their faces, their motivation, and the light in their eyes. You could just tell, it made a big difference in their lives and what they’re going to accomplish in the future,” said CVCA principal Doug Mackin. “I’m just so proud to be here to see this miracle working within my kids. They are so deserving and they worked so hard.”

The Cooking up Change Chicago Healthy Cooking Contest is generously supported by a team of sponsors that includes Premier sponsor Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, official travel partner Southwest Airlines and Hero sponsor Preferred Meal Systems, Inc.

For more information about Cooking up Change and to purchase tickets, please visit www.CookingupChange.org.

CVCA team members accept their first-place award at Cooking up Change

The Chicago Community Trust Spotlights Cooking up Change and Tilden Culinary Instructor Keith Morris

Last year, students studying culinary arts at Tilden High School participated in Healthy Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest. The talented group and their culinary instructor, Keith Morris, were chronicled by The Chicago Community Trust.

In this video, Morris reflects on how valuable the opportunity has been for the students. He says: “Thanks to the Chicago Community Trust and Healthy Schools Campaign, there are contests like this that inspire the students, challenge their creativity, and give them the experience they need to succeed in life.”

 
Tilden High School has participated in Cooking up Change since 2007. In 2009, the students won first place and traveled to Washington D.C. to present their meal at a Congressional briefing on the future of school food. Their journey was featured in the documentary film "Lunch Line."

At Tilden, the culinary arts and hospitality program prepares students for careers or further education in a field that calls on them to have skills ranging from verbal presentation to mathematics and creative expression. Cooking up Change gives students a chance to practice and showcase those skills while being part of the national dialogue around healthy school food. 

Kudos to all of the remarkable culinary instructors like Keith Morris and the student chefs who bring their talents and passion for culinary arts to Cooking up Change. 

Many thanks to The Chicago Community Trust for their ongoing support and for sharing this story!
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Plus: Check out this HSC video of Chef Morris from Cooking up Change 2010! 

Fresh Bread and a Fresh Take on School Food

By Mark Bishop, HSC vice president of policy and communications

One morning recently, I walked into my son’s school expecting it to smell like baking chicken -- it was a fresh chicken day after all. But to my surprise, it actually smelled like freshly baked bread. What was going on?

The school kitchen manager straightened me out. It turns out that the new nutrition standards in Chicago Public Schools allow for dessert one time per week. This year, they’ve started offering freshly baked sweet breads as part of this dessert option. These breads meet the nutrition requirements of the HealthierUS School Challenge. But what stood out to me the most was the simple fact that they are baked fresh in the school.

The kitchen manager told me that they were baking banana bread that morning. She said: “It’s delicious! I tasted a piece earlier and the kids are going to love it!” Other breads they are baking throughout the year include apple, blueberry, sweet potato, banana nut and carrot breads.

Transforming the school food environment involves so many challenges. As we think about sensible nutrition requirements, fresher vegetables and clean proteins, we can’t forget about the overall experience and the messages it sends. We want to get back to real food -- food that is less processed, food that incorporates more cooking. Baking a treat once a week, filling the air with the aroma of fresh bread, creates an environment of food that we care about. It sends a subtle but important message and can make a real different in how we approach our meals.

Spotlight on Physical Education Instructor Jill White: Promoting Physical Activity, Supporting Kids' Learning

Recently, students in Chicago Public Schools celebrated being active and earning the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. More than 2,000 Chicago students took on the challenge with 60 minutes of daily physical activity for six weeks.

One enthusiastic educator, P.E. teacher Jill White, went above and beyond in helping her students meet the challenge by coordinating a flash mob dance to Beyonce’s "Move Your Body," a song the pop star released as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to encourage children to be active!

White said that her school jumped at the chance to take on the PALA challenge to encourage physical activity.

"I was so excited because it was something that was structured! A child that can’t do two push-ups can participate. It gave us an opening to talk about ‘what physical activity really is,’ ‘how much do we need,’ ‘what is a healthy lunch’, ‘what is a healthy breakfast.’"

 

 

Cornell McClellan and Robert A. Black physical education instructor Jill White

With more than 20 years of experience, White was delighted to see her students accomplish something as a school. She said one of the most rewarding parts of her job is seeing students develop throughout the years.

"It’s great to see those kids from kindergarten and follow them all the way up to eighth grade." No stranger to teamwork, White keeps busy by coaching boys and girls third and fourth grade tennis and overseeing junior varsity and varsity cheer squads. 

"Physical education is very important. We’re teaching them," White added. "There are so many benefits that spill over into the classroom."

White explained that physical activity contributes significantly to a child’s educational experience. She shared an essay that one of her students wrote, in which the student said "I like PE because Ms. White taught me how to follow the steps and I finally made a basket."

"They learn all sorts of things that aren’t necessarily physical education," she said. "If you follow the steps you can be successful. If you work hard at something, you’re going to be better."

White shared other ways physical activity supports other parts of a student’s education: "In kindergarten, we learn about quarter-turns. Well, a kid that jumps quarter-turns will remember what a quarter is when he or she get to math class. So they’re using their bodies to solidify what they learn in the classroom."

The instructor also shared her vision of fitness. "It’s not whether you’re fat or skinny, tall or short; does your body do what you want it to do? That’s how I define fitness; can you get up and run down the street? Can you play the games you want to play without getting out of breath? So that’s my goal, to get kids to work toward that and to feel good about their bodies and what they can do."

Research demonstrates how physical education and physical activity boost students' readiness to learn and succeed academically. Students build social skills such as teamwork and self-esteem, learn about health and development, and boost fitness and overall health.

Kudos to Jill White on championing wellness! Congratulations to Robert A. Black Magnet School and all of the Chicago Public Schools on completing the PALA Challenge!

For more information about Chicago’s efforts to elevate school fitness, check out Go for the Gold.

Chicago Leaders Commend Students, Teachers for Getting Active with PALA Challenge

This fall, we were thrilled to join students, teachers, school dining managers and other members of Chicago’s school community in taking on the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) Challenge! This challenge encourages kids and adults alike to make physical activity a regular part of their daily life by logging physical activity. Kids who are active for one hour a day, five days a week for six out of eight weeks receive commendation and a certificate from the president! (Adults follow the same schedule but for 30 minutes a day.) Individuals can also meet the challenge by wearing a pedometer to track a certain number of steps each day. 

Walsh Elementary students at the PALA Kick-Off earlier this year

More than 2,000 Chicago Public Schools students met the challenge with the support of their creative physical education teachers and school leaders. 1World Sports led the effort in Chicago along with HSC, CPS and Aetna, which donated 3,000 pedometers to students! We all celebrated the students’ success at a special event at Robert A. Black Elementary School. 

Cornell McClellan, President Obama's personal trainer and a member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, visited the school to congratulate students.

Since the PALA Challenge began, leaders from across Chicago have shared congratulations and encouraging words for the students: 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said: "I am committed to creating an environment in Chicago where families can be healthy, active and enjoy the city's vibrant parks and communities. I'm excited the Chicago Public Schools is participating in the PALA challenge to help ensure our students and teachers are learning to be healthy and active every day."

Jesse H. Ruiz, Vice President of the Chicago Board of Education, said: "Physical activity is key to a healthy lifestyle and a sound education. I commend all those taking on the PALA challenge at CPS and look forward to joining you in making fitness a priority. I hope that the habit of daily physical activity is one that endures long after the challenge ends."

Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said: "We know that active students are better prepared to focus and do their best in school. That's why I'm so pleased that students, teachers, dining managers and many others across Chicago Public Schools are committing to the PALA challenge. I applaud this commitment and am proud to add my name to the roster of those taking on the challenge in CPS."

Congratulations to all the students, teachers and school leaders who took on this challenge. As PE teacher Mable Askew said when the challenge launched: “Stay fit!”

For more information about Chicago’s efforts to elevate school fitness, check out Go for the Gold.

The Parents Behind PALA

This fall, more than 2,200 Chicago Public Schools students completed the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Challenge, a program in which people incorporate fitness into their daily lives for 60 minutes a day for six weeks.

1World Sports hosted a celebration at Robert A. Black Magnet School where the school community came together to perform a flash mob dance as part of the challenge! Physical education instructor Jill White, who choreographed the performance, took the lead in bringing the PALA Challenge to the South side school. She credits the school’s strides to the administration, faculty, and parents’ collaborative efforts. (Left: PALA recipient Keyala with her mom, Latesha.)

Parents worked with White to arrange music and even learned the choreography to teach students. White said it has provided a great opportunity for parents and students to get fit  together. 

We talked to a few of the parents at the celebration who shared their excitement for the national honor.

Check out this video from the celebration below!

 
Kudos to the parents, teachers, and students at Robert A. Black Magnet School! Congratulations to all of the students who completed the PALA challenge.

For more information about Chicago’s efforts to elevate school fitness, check out Go for the Gold.

Parent Leaders Play Key Role in Schools' Wellness Achievements

On Dec. 2, Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables hosted the sixth Principals’ Breakfast for Healthy Schools, a gathering of parents and principals to exchange ideas, celebrate successes and connect around the shared goal of promoting wellness in schools. Parents United is an HSC-led coalition of parent and community organizations dedicated to bringing opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity to Chicago schools, particularly schools in Latino and African-American communities facing significant health disparities. This year, the breakfast celebrated the success of parent leaders whose efforts made it possible for their schools to achieve the HealthierUS School Challenge through Go for the Gold. 

Today, we are happy to share the remarks that Rosa Ramirez, HSC’s Go for the Gold campaign manager, delivered at the principals’ breakfast. Kudos to all the parent leaders who are making change! 

Rosa Ramirez, Go for the Gold campaign manager, addresses parents and principals at the Principals' Breakfast for Healthy Schools

As campaign manager of Go for the Gold, I get to see and meet all kinds of great people and organizations helping schools become healthier places. 

I am so impressed with everyone’s enthusiasm and commitment to bringing change to our schools. Especially, I am impressed by parents’ and families’ openness to healthy changes and their determination to make sure their children grow up healthy and ready to learn, and gain lifetime skills to help them make healthy choices. 

In February of 2010 – almost two years ago — First Lady Michelle Obama and her Let’s Move Campaign sounded an alarm helping our country wake up to the reality that “the physical and emotional health of an entire generation is at stake." And she set a bold vision, one that I think we all full-heartedly believe in: that “every kid has a right to a healthy childhood.” 

Two years ago we asked Chicago – parents, teachers, elected officials, principals and community members — to help us make Chicago schools healthier places. We set an ambitious goal of having 100 schools be certified through the HealthierUS School Challenge (a USDA program that the First Lady is urging schools to join) in three years.  We are in the middle of year two and we are happy to report that about 30 schools have been certified under the First Lady’s program, with close to twenty additional schools recently turning in their applications to be certified and awaiting their approval. 

The accomplishments of more than half of these schools can be credited to the hard work of parents!

Parents have led the way to figuring out how to really make wellness a priority, despite the challenges in our schools. When we announced this goal, parents immediately stepped up to the plate determined to not let their children be the first generation in history to grow up less healthy than their parents. 

Now, I simply want to lift up the amazing work parents across the city have done day in and day out to help their schools be healthier while simultaneously re-thinking some of their own practices at home. 

Parents have teamed up with other parents, principals and community organizations to help move their school to be healthier. This includes implementing healthy fundraisers, bringing back recess, organizing healthy cooking clubs, creating a trusting relationship with the principal, scheduling weekly fitness classes or health fairs, and most importantly modeling healthy behavior. For example, parents have chosen to only serve healthy food at their school meetings. Little things add up to big change.  In this process, parents are changing their own habits and are role models for their own families and others in the community. 

All this work is very challenging but is also very rewarding! All this positive work that is centered on our schools is also transforming our homes and communities to be healthier places. And that’s what it’s all about – creating healthy places to give our children an opportunity to grow up healthy and ready to learn.  Thank you so much to the parents for all their hard work and dedication. 

Parent leaders celebrate at the Principals' Breakfast for Healthy Schools

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Como gerente de la campaña de Vamos por el Oro, llego a conocer a todo tipos de personas y organizaciones que ayudan a las escuelas a ser más saludables y también ver los logros que alcanzan.

Estoy muy impresionado con el entusiasmo y el compromiso de todos a llevar cambio a nuestras escuelas. Sobre todo, estoy  muy impresionado con el compromiso de los padres y su determinación para asegurarse de que sus hijos crezcan sanos, listos para aprender, y una capacidad para tomar decisiones saludables.

En febrero de 2010-hace casi dos años-la primera dama Michelle Obama con su Campaña ¡A moverse! sonó una alarma despertándonos  a la realidad de que la salud física y emocional de nuestros niños-- toda una generación está en peligro. Ella tiene una meta,  una que  yo creo con todos apoyamos con todo corazón y esta meta es que "todo niño tenga derecho a una niñez sana y saludable".  

Hace dos años le pedimos a Chicago-padres, maestros, el acalde y funcionarios públicos, directores y miembros de la comunidad-que nos ayuden a hacer las escuelas de Chicago más saludables. Nos dimos una meta ambiciosa de tener 100 escuelas con la certificación de escuela saludables en tres años. Ahorita estamos en  año numero dos  y estamos felices de informar que cerca de 30 escuelas han sido certificadas bajo el programa de la Primera Dama , y cerca de veinte escuelas an cumplido con sus aplicaciones para ser certificados y están en espera de su aprobación.

Llos logros de más de la mitad de estas escuelas no habría sido posible sin el arduo trabajo de los padres! 

Simplemente quiero apreciar el trabajo y empeño increíble de los padres. A pesar de las condiciones que existan en nuestras escuelas, los padres han abierto el camino para que las escuelas hagan el bienestar y la salud una prioridad. 

Ellos día tras día se han unido con otros padres y organizaciones de la comunidad para traer recursos a sus escuelas y han trabajado juntos con los directores de las escuelas a llevar a cambio sus metas.  Los padres se han dedicado hacer cambios chiquitos y grandes como eligiendo a servir solamente alimentos frescos y saludables en las juntas de la escuela, o lanzar iniciativas para recuperar el recreo, organizar clubes de cocina saludable, programando clases de ejercicio, y an cambiando la manera de recaudar fondos de dulces a cosas saludables y muchas cosas más. En este proceso, los padres también han cambiando y con sus propios ejemplos saludables ahora también están transformando los hábitos de sus familias. 

Todo este trabajo es muy exigente pero también es muy gratificante! Lo más importante de todo este trabajo positivo ocurriendo adentro  de nuestras escuelas es que también están  transformando nuestros hogares y comunidades para lo mas saludables. Y de eso se trata --  a crear lugares saludables para que nuestros niños tengan la oportunidad de crecer sanos y listos para aprender.  Muchas Gracias por su ayuda y apoyo en esta campana para escuelas saludables –de verdad reconocemos su gran esfuerzo y trabajo.

Chicago principals are recognized at the Principals' Breakfast for promoting health and wellness at school

First Family's Personal Trainer Takes Pride in Chicago Students' Physical Activity Achievements

Recently, the HSC team spoke with Cornell McClellan, personal trainer to the First Family of the United States, at a celebration where he applauded the 2,200 Chicago Public Schools students who completed the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) challenge to be physically active for 60 minutes daily for six weeks.

In June, McClellan played a key role in the Champions for Wellness professional development event hosted by HSC and Chicago Public Schools, announcing the challenge to physical education teachers who stepped up to become wellness leaders in their schools. He happily returned to see the effort come full circle as Chicago Public School students completed the challenge.

“I am so honored to be involved in this," he said. "So many of these kids get it. . . I’m just so happy to be here at Robert Black Elementary to help award the kids their PALAs.” 

Cornell McClellan with Robert A. Black physical instructor Jill White and young PALA recipients

“I’ve very excited about this!" he said. "This is where we’re trying to go. We’re trying to make sure everyone and their families are active. We’re going to end childhood obesity in a generation!” 

McClellan hopes the country will be inspired by Chicago’s efforts and the achievements of the young PALA participants.

“It’s fitting that it is in Chicago, our home town, the president and first lady’s home town," he said. "It's great to know that what they’re doing for all kids is happening in their home town. It means a lot to us that it's here.” A Chicago native himself, McClellan added, “I’m happy to see my city representing!”

The fitness leader also shared the PALA+ challenge in which participants meet daily nutrition goals in addition to being physically active every day.

“What it is asking you to do is to still be active," he explained. "Now [with PALA+] we’re asking you to slow down on sugary drinks and drink more water. Make half of your plate grains and vegetables and read those labels. Slow the sodium down; make the portions smaller and things of that nature.” 

 

For more information, visit www.PresidentsChallenge.org and take the PALA and PALA + Challenge!

For more information about Chicago’s efforts to elevate school fitness, check out Go for the Gold.

Celebrating the PALA Challenge: South Side Chicago School Flash Mobs For School Fitness

by Brittany Wright, Media and Outreach Specialist

Last week, Healthy Schools Campaign joined 1World Sports and Chicago Public Schools to celebrate students across Chicago completing the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Challenge.

More than 2,000 Chicago Public School students were tasked with completing 60 minutes of daily physical activity for six weeks. One school, Robert A. Black Elementary, went above and beyond by coordinating a flash mob dance to Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” as part their effort to meet the challenge! The song celebrates First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign encouraging children to be active.

PALA recipients dance to Beyonce's "Move Your Body" at Robert A. Black Magnet School

Physical education instructor Jill White came up with the idea to create the flash mob. She said, “I was trying to think of something they could all do together. [The celebration] gave them something to really get excited about.” 

White beamed with excitement and pride as the students danced to the hit song. “Some kids just jump the whole time, but they just jumped for four minutes!” she said.

The program strengthened the school community around fitness. The PE teacher points out that “the PALA program really helped solidify the importance of health and gave me something to present to teachers. The teachers and the administration really jumped on board because it was a solid plan.”

White also expressed how honored she was to meet Cornell McClellan, personal trainer to the First Family of the United States and a Chicago native who visited Robert A. Black Elementary to recognize the school's work in helping students meet the PAlA challenge. “That was really cool, I was really impressed!” She added, “It’s great to have someone like McClellan" honor the students for being active.

Cornell McClellan and Robert A. Black physical education instructor Jill White

"We talk about Michelle Obama and the First Family being involved in this and it gives them a connection," she said.

Cornell McClellan said, "It means a lot to us that it's here. . . It’s great to know that what they’re doing for all kids is happening in their home town!"

The Robert A. Black Wildcats led 200 students in dance to celebrate the national recognition! McClellan and Tommy Hawk of the Chicago Blackhawks joined in on the fun too!

Congratulations to all of the Chicago Public School students who participated in the PALA Challenge! To learn how you can get involved, visit the Presidential Challenge site. 

For more information about Chicago’s efforts to elevate school fitness, check out Go for the Gold.

Farm to School Opportunity, Harvesting Life Lessons and Nutrition Education

By Brittany Wright, Media and Outreach Specialist

"I believe that American agriculture can and will hold true to the best traditions of our national life and that I can exert an influence in my home and community which will stand solid for my part in that inspiring task."- FFA Creed

Last month, I traveled to Sparta, Mich. with a group of Canter Middle School students to learn how apples go from Midwestern orchards to Chicago lunch trays. Canter students learned about the various varieties of apples and picked a few to take home!

For me, this was an exciting endeavor, not only because apple-picking is the perfect activity for autumn, but because I knew how much this educational experience would mean to the students.  

I attended the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (go Cyclones!), a Chicago Public School where students learn about agriculture through related vocational curricula: horticulture, animal science, food science, agriculture mechanics, and agribusiness. And yes, the school has a farm! In fact, I graduated with a greenhand degree! Not everyone can say they were a part of the largest chapter of a national farmer’s association or participated in dairy judging as a teen, especially in an urban environment like Chicago.

Seeing these kids receive that exposure reminded me of my time as a high school student and how it broadened my view of agriculture. These students didn’t just learn about apples, they learned about life. The Riveridge trip also provided them with a unique opportunity to engage with food in a different way; they were able to meet the people who provide their schools with apples and learn how food production works.

When these kids take a bite of an apple during their school lunch, I hope they’ll remember that they visited the orchards where it grew. More importantly, I hope this exposure to agriculture plays a role in their decision to live healthy, active lifestyles.

It was delightful to see kids plucking Honey Crisp and Golden Delicious apples from the trees and discussing the nutritional value of the delectable fruit. 

Riveridge employees graciously provided our group with a guided tour. Students were in awe when they learned that there were more than 3,000 varieties of apples!

This is just one example of how amazing Farm to School programs create memorable lessons outside of the classroom. Agriculture and nutrition education provide an engaging opportunity to support farmers and teach students about food systems and eating well. Students gain valuable knowledge from educational field trips and hands-on experiences like our trip to the apple orchard.

We are grateful for Riveridge’s efforts to create opportunities to learn about healthy eating!

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October was National Farm to School Month, but you can continue to learn about fun and exciting activities though our latest Farm to School updates on the HSC blog.