Healthy Schools Campaign

Case Study: Parents Unite for Health and Wellness

Today we're featuring a case study from Health in Mind, a new report from HSC and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), which details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. Here, we learned about how one school works with parent leaders to jumpstart new initiatives that improve student wellness.

By Kadesha Thomas

For school principals, every priority related to student achievement is the top priority. No factor that influences student learning can become an afterthought, especially not student health and wellness. Fortunately, Principal Michael Heidkamp, at Nathanael Greene Elementary School on Chicago’s Southwest side, can lean on the leadership of his school’s wellness team to integrate health and wellness into the school’s culture.

The Greene Elementary School wellness team is composed of people with a deeply personal and powerful influence over the students—the parents. “As the principal, sometimes you can get very myopic in the sense that you’re getting pressed for test scores and short-term gains and short-term results,” Heidkamp explained. But his students’ parents are constantly emphasizing that “their child’s experience is so much more than that.”

The parents on the Greene Elementary wellness team are members of Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables. Parents United/Padres Unidos is a coalition of more than 40 parent and community groups dedicated to bringing healthy eating and physical activity to Chicago schools, particularly those in Latino and African-American communities facing significant health disparities. Parents United/Padres Unidos, led by the Healthy Schools Campaign, equips parents to advocate for policies and programs that promote healthy eating and active lifestyles in their schools by educating parents on best practices around nutrition and physical activity. Parents United/Padres Unidos also trains parents on strategies for organizing effective school wellness teams and provides ongoing support as parents lead these teams to transform schools.

The wellness team came together at Greene Elementary School after Karena Macedo, a parent on the team, led the school to become certified with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s HealthierUS School Challenge, an effort First Lady Michelle Obama is promoting to combat childhood obesity. Macedo even represented her school at a White House celebration the First Lady hosted to honor schools that achieved this certification.

Jovita Flores, Healthy Schools Campaign’s manager of Parents United/Padres Unidos, sat down with the wellness team at Greene Elementary in March 2012 to reflect on a recent initiative, the school’s first health and wellness resource fair. The event featured health education, food demonstrations, and physical activity—all focused on what Principal Heidkamp describes as the school’s goal of “creating a new normal” around healthy living.

Community agencies provided glucose, blood pressure, and vision testing at the fair, along with
instructions for follow-up services. The fair also incorporated nutrition education, demonstrating small steps parents could take to improve their family’s diet. Lunchroom manager Christina Hernandez and a parent/wellness team leader, who is also named Christina Hernandez, taught parents how to make smoothies with fruit and vegetables. “Nobody knew the vegetables were there and they were amazed,” Heidkamp said. “Kids were coming back for more!”

More than 300 people attended and plans are already underway for next year’s event. Heidkamp said parent leadership has been key to prioritizing health and wellness at the school. The wellness team connects parents and school administrators by creating structured activities to promote student health.

During the most recent school year, the wellness team helped revamp the afterschool program. It now includes yoga, several running clubs, folkloric dance, soccer and other seasonal sports. “A good twenty-five percent of our student body is engaged in some sort of exercise in addition to a strong physical education program,” Heidkamp said. Such opportunities did not exist during the previous school year. “Kids are making the choice to participate. Adults are making the choice to participate, and parents are making the choice to take on the leadership role in increasing the resources that are available and really challenging the culture.”

The wellness team is also preparing to tackle classroom celebrations that often lead to a frenzied sugar high, then an energy drop, when parents bring sweets like cupcakes and brownies. “It’s important that parents are speaking to other parents about that, not just administrators,” Heidkamp said.

Leveraging the influence of dedicated parents on the wellness team has been the school’s most effective strategy for posing healthy lifestyle changes to parents. “It’s a decision by the community for the community,” Heidkamp added. “It’s much more about ‘this is why,’ and ‘this is the change that I’m making with my child and that you can make with your child.’”

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As the year progresses, we'll share more about Health in Mind and the progress of this initiative! For more information or to view the full report, please visit www.healthinmind.org.

Physical Activity Spotlight: Teachers Motivate Students With Hustle Up Hamilton

At HSC, we're always looking for new ideas to make fitness a fun part of the school day and an integral component of the school community. Here, we learn how Hamilton Elementary School transformed its entire school building into a fun fitness challenge, setting a great example for students in the process. 

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At Hamilton Elementary School in Chicago, faculty members on the school’s wellness team, including preschool teacher Nichole Moos, physical education teacher Steve Skweres and 1st grade teacher Liz Busch, launched an activity to motivate their colleagues to get fit and have fun.

Skweres suggested doing Hustle Up the Hancock, an annual charity race where participants climb the stairs of the iconic John Hancock Building. This was a little too ambitious, so the team decided to scale it down and create a similar event in their three-floor school building -- and Hustle Up Hamilton was born.

Staff members start at the first floor, walk or run up two flights of stairs to get to the gym, walk or run through the gym and then come back down the stairs. This counts as one circuit, and the goal of the event is to see how many circuits you can complete in a half-hour time limit. Moos even made a playlist for the event with all the staff’s favorite high-energy songs, on which they were delighted to include Principal James Gray's choice, ‘90s hit “Pump Up the Jam” by Technotronic.

The planners agreed that the day was a success! Staff members at all levels of fitness participated, from those who were running marathons to those who found a challenge in climbing stairs. Some chose to walk and others ran the whole time, and everyone had the opportunity to get active and set some goals. They said everyone was surprised by how many laps they could do. Skweres says goal-setting was a key element to the exercise, and even if staff members could only complete one circuit, that was okay.

“The purpose isn’t so that everyone gets really skinny,” Moos added. “Fitness looks different for every single person, and we were asking people to set goals and try to stick with them.”

All three staff members emphasized the importance of the students seeing the teachers promoting fitness and setting a positive example.

“My kids were actually here on Friday when we did it,” Busch says. “The kids come on professional development days and they got to watch us run the first half of it. They were giving us high-fives and when I got to the classroom, they asked if I won the race, and I said, ‘We weren’t winning, we were doing it together.’ It’s good for us to be models for our students.”

This is the first year Hamilton Elementary has had a wellness team, and they’ve already put together some fantastic initiatives in addition to Hustle Up Hamilton. There’s the ongoing, all-levels staff yoga class led by a yoga instructor parent, an upcoming professional development day where Purple Asparagus will lead a healthy cooking demonstration for staff and mental health-promoting activities including “warm fuzzies,” where teachers give compliments and do random acts of kindness for one another. Ideas in the works include a basketball tournament to raise money for wellness programming and a professional development session on reading labels. Hamilton also plans to work towards the highest levels of success in meeting the HealthierUS Schools Challenge.

The team is looking to hold Hustle Up Hamilton again at the end of the school year to see how much the runners have improved, and anticipate many more great opportunities for fitness and fun. “We were professional athletes that day,” Moos jokes.

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Thanks to Hamilton Elementary for sharing their story with us! Tell us: Could you replicate this great idea at your school?

A Healthy Valentine’s Day Treat: Heart-Shaped Fruit Pops!

The classroom Valentine boxes are ready, the card stores are a sea of red and you can almost hear Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” everywhere you go. It must be Valentine’s Day again. Last week, we offered some suggestions of how to have a fun and fit Valentine’s Day party at school, and we hope that you learned something new and maybe even tried a new idea or two. 

Here’s one last extra special treat for today -- a healthy recipe for the holiday culled from our explorations on Pinterest. Thanks to les petits presents for the idea, and we hope you have as much fun making and snacking on these beautiful, fun fruit pops (with, if desired, a Greek yogurt dipping sauce) as we did! We love these because they’re colorful, festive, encourage trying new fruits and you can get creative! You can use any combination of fruit for a rainbow of possibilities. If you have to have chocolate (and again, a little bit is okay), a drizzle of dark chocolate on these pops will pique the interest of picky eaters without the sugar rush February 14 usually brings. And add a happy Valentine’s Day message by attaching a note to the stick for a memorable and heartfelt treat.

You’ll need:

For the kebabs:

• A knife
• A heart-shaped cookie cutter (optional, but very helpful)
• Skewers or ice-pop sticks
• Red ribbon
• ½ - 2 each of the melon of your choice
• Other fruits: apples, pears, kiwis, starfruit -- whatever fruit you have on hand or is in season near you

For the dipping sauce:

• 1½ cup Greek yogurt
• honey (per your desired sweetness)
• Flavor additions of your choice - lemon or orange zest or cinnamon are good standbys, again to taste

Dipping sauce, variation:

• For a more decadent treat, playing off a great recipe from Mix It Up, add 2 tsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp melted dark chocolate chips to the yogurt, and honey and cinnamon to taste if desired

If you want to get more creative with the Greek yogurt dips, Yummly has a nice variety of more elaborate options, including Vanilla Bean and Cranberry.

Putting it together:

• 1) Cut fruit into 1-inch slices
• 2) Cut hearts into fruit using a knife or cookie cutter
• 3) Place each fruit heart on a skewer or ice-pop stick
• 4) Tie with a red ribbon or message for your Valentine
• 5) For the dipping sauce, combine yogurt and desired add-ons into bowl, keep chilled

Enjoy, and be sure to share with your loved ones! Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at HSC.

The Free Care Rule: Why Schools Deserve More Funding for Student Health

School nurse Saria Lofton keeps her students safe and active on the playground.

Forty percent of school-age children miss three or more days of school per year due to illness, and it isn’t just the flu -- chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma are more common and remain unmanaged. Mental and emotional health issues urgently need addressing as well. 

Although all children have the potential to achieve in school and deserve a great education,  children who suffer from unmanaged conditions and illnesses are more likely to fall behind.

At HSC, we believe in increasing funding and access for school nurses and health services. One critical avenue that can lead to progress? The clarification of the free care rule. 

What is the free care rule?

School nurses should be reimbursed for their work, as they would be for working in a doctor’s office. But HSC believes that a misinterpretation of the free care rule is standing in the way. The free care rule states that Medicaid funds may not be used to pay for services that are provided for free to everyone in the community. For example, if all children in a school receive hearing evaluations, Medicaid cannot be billed for the hearing evaluations provided to Medicaid recipients unless all students, regardless of insurance status, are billed for the services as well.  

Why is the free care rule standing in the way of student health?

As currently interpreted, the free care rule requires that schools bill a variety of private insurers as well as Medicaid, creating a tangled web of paperwork that many schools can’t even begin to navigate.

How can we make positive change for student health?

HSC believes that a simple clarification will make a big impact. We’re asking lawmakers to clarify that the free care rule does not apply to schools. In fact, schools should bill Medicaid for the services they are providing.

Why is this clarification of the free care rule so important?

School health services, when properly funded, can be a lifeline. School nurses provide critical health services in schools across the U.S. -- they’re not just for Band-Aids and saltines, despite the stereotype.

Kentucky is one state where schools are permitted to bill for health services through Medicaid, and therefore can in part provide more funding for school nurses. In large, rural Hopkins County, nurses received more than 33,000 visits, with more than 6,000 unique ones among the county’s 14 schools. Attendance and immunization rates improved, as has the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) rate.

As Alexis Seymore-Dawson, a teacher in the area, explained, “School health is often the only health care my students receive.”

Results can be seen in urban school health, too. San Jose Unified School District was part of a five-year demonstration placing full-time school nurses at two elementary and two middle schools and linking them with an FQHC-certified school health clinic. The results were remarkable: a dramatic decrease in ER visits for asthma, a decrease in student absences and the school district saved thousands in Average Daily Attendance funding.

What is HSC doing to clarify the free care rule?

HSC is continuing to engage with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to allow for and implement this increase in funding for school health professionals.

How can I help?

We encourage parents, teachers, nurses and community members to take a look at our Health In Mind report, created in partnership with Trust for America’s Health, detailing recommendations to Secretaries Arne Duncan and Kathleen Sebelius on how to incorporate health and wellness into education policy. Look into your own schools and communities. See if there is a focus on school health; learn whether a nurse or other professional is present in your school, and discover what kind of health initiatives are already offered. Together, we can take even more steps for healthier schools and students through the amazing work of school nurses.

Earth Day Network Launches Sustainable School Food Journalism Awards

Often the most innovative, honest and forward-thinking perspectives on how to improve school food come from the students themselves. As the ones closest to the action, students are leading the charge for a healthier menu and sparking conversations in cafeterias across America.

The Earth Day Network had been working on a number of initiatives to promote healthier school food, with various student engagement elements, such as a poster contest encouraging students to depict what a healthy lunch looks like. This year, the network is launching its first-annual Sustainable School Food Journalism Awards, where intrepid student reporters report on nutrition and food issues inside their school with input from their peers.

“We wanted to get high school students to learn about these issues from each other,” says John Maleri, Associate Director of Earth Day at the Earth Day Network. “We wanted them to utilize journalism as a way for students to talk to other students and start a dialogue.”

Maleri says the contest came about as the team was evaluating the new set of standards for school lunches that the United States Department of Agriculture proposed in 2010. Contest organizers specifically wanted students to talk to each other about nutrition issues and be a resource for one another and have their voices heard instead of having an outside adult come in for an initiative. School newspapers, as a “by students, for students” resource students use to stay informed and voice opinions, proved an effective outlet.

Students have brought some great ideas and pressing topics to the table. One issue that has frequently recurred in assignments is the new calorie limit imposed on school lunches, which students approach with varying perspectives, as student reporters understand the pressing issue of adolescent obesity, but are hearing from their peers that they don’t feel satisfied with the lower-calorie meals. Maleri says student reporters should look at all areas of an issue, but student perspective may be the key to making further improvements.

“We’re encouraging them not to be totally critical and look at it in context,” Maleri says. “And students have brought some really interesting ideas to make it successful.”

So far, the Earth Day Network has received responses from all over the country.“Just yesterday, I received an email from a student in Puerto Rico,” Maleri says. “The contest is open to all U.S. high school students, and we’d love to have everyone participate. We didn’t imagine it would reach this far, and they’re asking if they can contribute in Spanish. The response is really wonderful.”

The competition is open for high school students ages 13-18, who have written about healthy, sustainable school food for their school newspapers. Best-selling author and food journalist Michael Pollan will select the winners, and the University of California-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, where Pollan is an adjunct faculty member, is one of the partners of the competition.

Six finalists will receive cash prizes--$1500 for first prize, $1,000 for second, $500 for third and $300 each to three fourth-place finalists--along with $200 to support their journalism class or student newspaper. The competition is a fantastic opportunity for exposure for budding writers as well--the winning articles will be published at the Earth Day Network’s website and broadcast out to their followers all around the world. Contest deadline is February 28, 2013, and students can submit their articles on the Earth Day Network website.

“We’re looking to spread the contest as far and wide as we can,” Maleri said. “Students are getting excited to write these articles.”

Case Study: Parents Go Back to School for Student Health

Today we're featuring a case study from Health in Mind, a new report from HSC and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), which details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. Here, we learned about how parents and schools are working together to make student health a priority in Santa Ana Unified School District.

In 2009, Santa Ana Unified School District started a six-week training program for parents to lead school recess breaks.

by Kadesha Thomas

In Santa Ana Unified School District, active parents and physically fit students go hand in hand. Since 2009, the district has partnered with Kid Healthy, a nonprofit that works with California’s Department of Education on school health and wellness, to develop a pilot program called Parents in Action/Padres en Acción. The program trains parents to engage students in recess activities throughout the district’s elementary schools. On any given day, about eight parents can be seen running laps, playing T-ball or hula hooping with students on the playground during recess.

The program began after school leaders and parents decided to do something about the rising obesity and diabetes incidence among students, said Jackie Teichmann, executive director at Kid Healthy. This was especially important for the district’s primarily Latino student population, who are at an especially high risk for health disparities. School leaders also noted that mothers in the district, many of whom are full-time homemakers, wanted to play a bigger role in their children’s
education.

“Giving parents ownership over the program instills a lot of pride,” Teichmann said. “And once the parents get that pride, they get very creative.”

For six weeks, parents are trained by other participating parents on school wellness policy requirements, how to play an active role in the school system, playground management and conflict resolution, and student motivation. Parents work with coordinators in the schools’ physical education departments to develop recess activities that will keep students engaged while working up a sweat. “They are not out there to be policemen,” Teichmann added. “They learn how to manage the kids. Pretty soon the kids aren’t fighting because they are playing so hard.” Parents set up activity zones on the playground to suit all students’ interests, such as basketball and soccer for sportsloving students or hula hoop and jump rope for those who prefer aerobic activities.

The program started in two schools with eight moms, then added three schools the following year. So far, more than 125 parents have been trained to be Parents in Action. In 2012, Kid Healthy expects to increase the total number of schools to nine. “Many of our elementary schools are enthusiastic about the Padres En Acción program on our sites,” said Roxanna S. Owings, Director of Special Projects at Santa Ana Unified School District. “Schools that don’t have the program asked about it, and it has done wonders for students in that their recess is structured and allows for physical activity to occur. Students are getting a workout and don’t even know it!”

Physical activity during the school day can actually boost academic performance, reduce stress and regulate mood swings, according to a January 2012 study in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Not only does the program boast a 98 percent recess participation rate among students, but principals and teachers have also reported a drop in disciplinary action after the Parents in Action recess periods.

“There’s much less fighting on the campus and fewer kids going to the office,” Teichmann said. “Kids are much more engaged.” The program has also empowered parents. Teichmann explained that parents have lost weight, developed confidence and now have an open door of communication with principals and teachers. “Some of our moms had a stay-home-and-hide mentality 

This has drawn them out of their homes and given them a voice that some have never had. One mom was just in tears because she had never been comfortable talking to her child’s teacher, but now she can. Parents feel so important because the schools recognize their efforts,” Teichmann noted.

As Kid Healthy seeks to expand the program throughout the Santa Ana Unified School District, Teichmann said the biggest challenge has been securing funding to implement the program in all the schools that are demanding it. “Anyone who hears about the program wants it in their schools, especially principals. They are totally behind this,” Teichmann said. “They all talk about how much it means for the children’s health and classroom performance to have parents on the campus.”

 

 

Ideas for a Fit and Fun Valentine’s Day Party at School

For parents and teachers, Valentine's Day -- which traditionally involves colossal candy and cupcake consumption -- can cause a quandary. Many schools already have dietary restrictions on snacks for classroom celebrations to accommodate for children with nut or dairy allergies, and some school districts are adopting healthy snack and beverage policies for class parties.

So we’ve compiled a few naturally sweet tips to help parents and teachers create a fit and fun Valentine’s Day classroom party. And for even more tips, visit our Healthy Classroom Valentine’s Day board on Pinterest!

Naturally Sweet

Fresh fruit will provide sweetness and festive colors without the sugar rush of candy.

• Create fun fruit kebabs or carve pineapples, melons, kiwis and more into heart-shaped “lollipops” with popsicle sticks on the end for a colorful treat, or make your own granola bars for a more filling snack.
• If you must keep chocolate on the menu, we recommend this snackalicious chocolate-dipped fruit chips recipe that uses antioxidant-rich dark chocolate instead of the standard milk chocolate.
• Some parents and teachers have gotten creative and made little valentine robots, using fruit juice boxes for the bodies (watch for sugar content of the juice), applesauce-container heads, raisin box feet, pretzel rod arms and googly eyes to make a funny face. Or provide natural fruit juice with a fun caption, like “You are BERRY sweet!”

Great Giveways 

• There are plenty of cute, fun and affordable giveways and incentives that don’t involve tons of candy. Heart-shaped erasers, red mini race cars, bookmarks and friendship bracelets are some food-free options.  

Fit and Fun

In addition to being the month of Valentine’s Day, February is also, fittingly, American Heart Month! A few ideas for heart health include: 

• The American Heart Association has resources for schools to host Jump Rope For Heart (a day of jump rope and Double Dutch games) and Hoops For Heart (a basketball tournament) to raise awareness about how to stay healthy and prevent heart disease. Kids will love the opportunity to play and get active and may learn a thing or two about creating healthy habits for life. 

• This Spell-A-Heart game promotes early literacy in a fun, active way (and couldn’t be easier to make!), or have students go on a scavenger hunt around the school to look for letters that will spell a Valentine’s Day-related word, like “HEART” or “CUPID.” 

• If you’re teaching language arts or Spanish, hold a tasting of various fresh fruit or vegetable samples for the class and, as an avenue for talking about the joys of healthy eating, have them write poems about their favorite fruit or veggie. Use Pablo Neruda’s classic poem “Ode to Tomatoes,” published in English and Spanish for easy translation, as a jumping-off point. For more on promoting healthy lifestyles through fun, seasonal activities, check out our Fit To Learn program. 

Do Good, Feel Good

We shouldn’t forget that mental and emotional health are important for building healthy, successful adults. A few tips:

• Have students create “Cupid’s Compliment Cups,” where students decorate containers and then write one thing they admire about each of their classmates to put in their Compliment Cup. Not only will students beam with pride and joy at the positive affirmations from their classmates, but they will enjoy the opportunity to make someone else feel great, too! 
  
  
• Or, you can extend the theme of love to the community and the world at large. Have students craft, decorate and send homemade Valentine’s Day cards to local families, seniors or recent war veterans, or partner with an organization like Project Linus, where fabric squares are the canvas for students’ Valentine-themed art, and made into quilts and blankets given to people who need them around the country. Spreading the love will make everyone feel good!

Next week, we'll share another healthy Valentine's Day treat recipe!

Related, a post on the USDA's proposed national standards for competitive foods. 

Students at West Adams Prep Win L.A.’s First Cooking up Change Competition

Winning students celebrate their victory in Cooking up Change LA!

On Thursday, guests at Los Angeles Trade Technical College were treated to quite a meal, as students from six L.A. public high schools sliced, diced their way through the city’s first Cooking up Change competition. José Landaverde, Maribel Sandoval and Esther Zegura, three culinary students from West Adams Preparatory High School (home of the mighty Panthers), won the inaugural L.A. competition with a delicious menu of Tex-Mex Corn Bread, Black Bean & Cucumber Mountain Salad and a Warm Pear and Raisin Delight.

“I wanted to be a part of the team and I wanted to be involved in the school,” Esther Zegura says. “I also wanted to change the way I look at food and change how I eat and how my family eats.”

José Landaverde agreed, adding that he was excited to have the opportunity to make an impact. “I wanted to be a part of the competition to be part of a change, not just in California, but all over the country,” he says.

But before they got to the main event, Zegura says, they had to compete with their peers and come up with a menu. She said one of the biggest challenges was creating a balanced menu from only 10 ingredients. Maribel Sandoval said their menu was voted on by their peers before being chosen to represent the school and was selected for its originality.

“We are students, so we wanted to make something we would want to eat and our friends would want to eat,” Sandoval said. “We thought if we made something out of the ordinary, other students would be curious about it and want to try it.”

Student chefs from five other high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District contributed delicious dishes to the city’s Cooking up Change competition. Meals were:

• Justine Ambriz, Priscilla Diaz and Bryan Orozco (Banning High School): Fajita Chicken Wrap, Southwestern Black Bean Salad and Mandarin Orange, Pineapple & Banana Parfait

• Brandon Catbagan, Brandi Pollard and Victor Sierra (Doyle Career & Transition Center): Bar-B-Que Chicken Pizza, Vegetable Medley on Citrus & Honey Wilted Spinach and Lightly-Spiced Crunchy Fruit Salad

• Kenya Rodriguez and Jazmin Sandoval (Francis Polytechnic High School): Kenya Jazzy Wrap, Side of Broccoli and Vanilla Yogurt & Peach Parfait

• Andrew Diaz, Lucila Flores and Jorge Perez (Marshall High School): Asian Chicken Salad Wrap, Broccoli Salad and Pear & Yogurt Parfait

• Rafael Alvride and Guadalupe Francisco (Santee Educational Complex): Viva Tamale, Fiesta Salad & Graham Cracker Crumble With Warm Fruit

The team from West Adams will join winning teams from Chicago, St. Louis, Santa Ana, Denver, Jacksonville, Winston-Salem, Memphis and Washington D.C. in the national Cooking Up Change competition at the U.S. Department of Education on June 10th. In addition to the trip to D.C., students win cookware, knife sets and culinary scholarships.

The students were so excited to talk about their day and the experiences that it was hard for them to pin down one favorite moment. Maribel Sandoval said she most enjoyed meeting the judges. “Working with my team was the best,” Esther Zegura said. “It was all so exciting. I was speechless.”

José Landaverde says he really enjoyed working with his supportive teammates. “They kept on pushing me and telling me not to give up, and it paid off,” he says.

Their entire school community is thrilled, too. Returning to school after a long day at the  competition, the winning students pushed open their school’s doors and were greeted by shouts of, “We won!” followed by a shower of cheers and applause.

Congratulations, Panthers! Can’t wait to see you again in D.C.

PUHS Chef Hilda Cazares Serves Up Change, With Fresh Fruit on the Side

Parent Hilda Cazares, a vital member of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

As parents file in to the Parents United for Healthy Schools meeting, they are greeted with an enticing breakfast featuring a rainbow of fresh fruits, roasted peppers, a vegetable-egg casserole and much more. Standing behind the trays and heaters is the chef at work, Hilda Cazares, greeting the familiar faces and assuring them that all the ingredients are natural. She’s trying out a new recipe, an oatmeal cake with a mixed berry sauce, which the parents at the meeting eagerly take back to their tables to sample. 

Hilda is a passionate and involved organizer and advocate -- you may have seen her share her story on our blog. She found out about Healthy Schools Campaign while serving on the local school council and the Parent Advisory Council in her community. At the meetings, meeting organizers would bring in coffee and sugary pastries, and Hilda saw an opportunity for parents to set the example for how they wanted their children to live.

“It started with my family,” Hilda says. “My mom is in her eighties. She was obese and suffering from epilepsy; my son was overweight and my daughter was overweight. I needed to learn how to make changes. I started doing this with my family and wanted to share with other parents. When you’re involved with schools, you want to bring something good and different for everyone.”

Hilda was interested in cooking, and she found an opportunity in her meetings with the parent-group clusters, where she found breakfast fare to be sugary pastries. She suggested a change, and others suggested she take the reins. With the support of her family, including her husband, a fellow chef (which creates an interesting competitive dynamic, she noted), she applied for a cooking course through Chicago Community Kitchens and after the full-time, four-month program developed a passion for creating fresh, healthy recipes.

“What motivates me is that the parents are happy,” she says. “That keeps you moving, because cooking has a lot of challenges and is a lot of work. You have to find good products. You have to find something the parents will like. I overheard one lady say, ‘You know, I don’t really like eggs, but these are good!’ This motivates me.”

But the real transformations happened at home. When Hilda cooks for her family now, she cooks using more fruits and vegetables and has gotten her family interested in healthier eating. Fast food is no longer a staple, and her parents and children are healthier. “My family started changing, especially my mom. She’s healthier, no diabetes, her epilepsy is very rare, and my daughter, son and I lost weight, too."

Hilda advises her fellow parents and community members to educate themselves about healthy foods and begin gradually changing bad habits while encouraging their children and family members to do the same. She says cooking healthy food together is a great way not only to learn positive lifestyle changes, but to spend some quality time together and learn from one another. “My grandson is going to be three years old, and he will pull a chair to get closer to the kitchen so he can check on the food,” she says with a laugh. “I told my husband, ‘We have a future chef over here.’"

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Watch the video below to hear more of Hilda's story!

Congratulations to the 2012 Green Cleaning Award Winners!

The winning team from Howard County Public Schools, which earned a Grand Award.

Today we're thrilled to congratulate the Green Cleaning Award winners for 2012! In the school district category, winners were:

• Grand Award: Howard County (Md.) Public Schools
• Silver Award: Portland Public Schools, Portland, Ore.
• Honorable Mentions:
  • Catoosa County Schools, Ringgold, Ga.
  • Lower Merion (Pa.) Public Schools

Every year, the Green Cleaning Award winners demonstrate best practices around green cleaning, galvanizing their school communities around the idea that all students, faculty and staff deserve a healthy place to learn and work. 

This annual award, presented by American School & University magazine, Healthy Schools Campaign and the Green Cleaning Network, recognizes schools with excellent and innovative programs on cleaning for health without harming the environment. Winners are judged based on the five simple steps to green cleaning outlined in HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

Congratulations to all award winners from everyone here at HSC!

Plus: Ready to go green at your school? Check out HSC's updated Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools!

Case Study: Teachers Mix Physical Fitness and Classroom Learning

Today we're featuring a case study from Health in Mind, a new report from HSC and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), which details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. Here, we learned about a teacher at McCutcheon Elementary School in Chicago who teaches her students about healthy choices through HSC's Fit to Learn program.

Kindergarten teacher Dolores Navarro leads students in a physical activity break.

by Kadesha Thomas

Karen Jasinski sees all the early warning signs in her students—the hot chips and donuts for breakfast, washed down with a jug of blue juice. She sees the childhood obesity that leads students to  develop type two diabetes by seventh or eighth grade, not to mention added complications from asthma and other chronic conditions.

Jasinski teaches health and fitness to more than 350 students, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, at McCutcheon Elementary School on Chicago’s North Side. She gets two 45-minute classes with them each week, and the school does not have a gymnasium onsite.

Recognizing the need for more health education and fitness education, Jasinski enrolled in Fit to Learn. Healthy Schools Campaign created the Fit to Learn professional development program in October 2010. The program offers a series of full-day and half-day sessions to equip P.E. teachers, health teachers and core subject teachers with a roster of techniques and all necessary materials for incorporating health and fitness lessons into any subject and any school environment. “We can’t
change [the students’] chemical makeups, but we have to make changes if they’re not learning it at home,” said Jasinski, who completed Fit to Learn in May 2012.

Since launching, more than 130 Chicago public school teachers have participated in Fit to Learn. “With the limitations teachers face throughout the day and the specific curriculum guidelines they
have to follow, it’s hard to be flexible or incorporate fitness into the lessons,” explained Kristi Cox, training and program manager at Healthy Schools Campaign who leads Fit to Learn. “Our program is a simple way for teachers to introduce fitness to students and let them know it’s important, while still meeting guidelines and learning standards.”

The program trains teachers to make exercise and nutrition lessons a regular part of the classroom experience. It’s the difference between sitting at a desk to do a spelling lesson or playing the Nutritious Words game, one of Jasinski’s favorites. This exercise requires students to stand as the teacher tosses a multicolored beach ball around the classroom. The student who catches the ball has to name a fruit or vegetable that is the same color as the part of the ball where the student’s thumb lands. Then, the student spells that fruit or vegetable’s name while doing jumping jacks. There’s also the MyPlate Shuffle. In this activity, each food group is assigned a dance or exercise move. When the teacher flashes a picture of a certain food, students do the corresponding dance move to indicate its food group.

Jasinski has also learned how to incorporate yoga into her fitness lessons, and she has learned activities that allow the students to move around, even in a tight classroom space. Fit to Learn also includes sessions from medical experts on the latest pediatric research, including how the most prevalent childhood health issues can play out in the classroom and impact learning. The ultimate goal of the program, which is provided free of charge to teachers, is to empower teachers to change the culture of health and fitness at their schools.

Karen Pippen’s participation in Fit to Learn stemmed from her conviction that schools can no longer
afford to ignore how health issues are impacting students. “The best place to talk about health is at school, because some children are just not getting it at home,” said Pippen, a resource teacher who works with special education and gifted students at Lincoln Elementary School in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. She also teaches an after-school health class twice a week.

Since her first Fit to Learn session in July 2011, Pippen has been able to incorporate health messages and physical activity into her class time. Five-minute dance breaks have helped her students release energy, then refocus on class work. She has woven nutrition information into her lessons, encouraging students to choose water over sugary juice, pick healthy snacks and cut back on excessive portions.

“The kids love it,” she said. Pippen knew the lessons were working when, one day, a couple of students noticed an empty potato chip bag in the class trash can. “Were those your chips?” they teased. “Was that a healthy choice?"

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As the year progresses, we'll share more about Health in Mind and the progress of this initiative! For more information or to view the full report, please visit www.healthinmind.org.

USDA Proposes National Standards for Competitive Foods in Schools

Today, the United States Department of Agriculture proposed national guidelines for competitive foods, or foods sold to students on school grounds that are not part of the National School Lunch Program or similar services. These include a la carte cafeteria items and items sold in vending machines and school stores. We are glad to see the USDA take this important step forward in creating healthier school environments.

Schools and students are changing, and as such, school food and school policy must evolve with them. The National School Lunch Program began in 1945 as a means of fighting malnourishment, with a focus on achieving a minimum of calories and nutrients. For decades, this was the standard.

Now, as childhood obesity and other chronic health problems reach staggering rates and prevent students from achieving, reevaluating school food to ensure access to nutritious meals and snacks is essential. Last year, the USDA updated its guidelines for school meals for the first time in 15 years and shifted the focus from nutrient and calorie requirements to a plan that involved more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and other common-sense adjustments. These changes were a crucial step in the right direction. However, even with more nutritious school meals, students are still met with less healthy options in the same cafeteria line, or in on-campus vending machines. Creating a national standard for competitive foods and creating an overall environment for healthier choices is the next logical step. We need to allow for the healthy choice to be the easy choice.

The USDA has a 60-day comment period and, rest assured, the snack and beverage industries will be making their perspectives heard during this time. We'll be calling on everyone who cares about healthy food and healthy kids to speak up in support of strong and health-promoting guidelines. Our commitment is to ensuring that all students have access to nutritious food and a healthy school environment that will contribute to healthy habits for life.

Be the MVP of Your Party with These Healthy Super Bowl Ideas

by Lindsay Eanet

On Sunday, millions of people will gather in living rooms across America to watch the San Francisco 49ers face the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl -- us included. We love the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, the drama, the crazy commercials, and, of course, Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl.

But the Super Bowl ranks second only to Thanksgiving in food consumption. In fact, after chowing down all those wings, pizzas and chips, Americans will consume 156 billion calories total. To work off the average intake, you’d have to run the length of a football field 109 times!

Worry not, friends - here’s how to make your Super Bowl a healthier affair without sacrificing good food, and, most importantly, fun.

The Food

Substitutions are the easiest way to make Super Bowl snacks a little bit healthier without sacrificing big flavor. Consider chicken, turkey or veggie chili instead of the usual beef. If you’re firing up the grill, make some veggie kebabs or turkey burgers. To get the smoky, sweet and spicy flavor of wings without all the fat and sodium of the store-bought stuff, toss some un-breaded white-meat tenders in the wing sauce of your choice and grill, bake or cook on the stove top. Serve with carrots, celery, colorful, crunchy peppers and a cooling yogurt-based sauce (dill and garlic are great additions, as is a squeeze of lemon) instead of the fattier Ranch dressing.

Sometimes, the answer to a healthier and tastier Super Bowl menu is a do-it-yourself approach. If you have to have chips and dip, you could make your own for a fresh, flavorful and healthy dip your guests will remember. Plus, a DIY salsa allows you to get creative -- opt for a simple, fresh pico de gallo, add chillies (which contain Vitamin C and antioxidants!) to your preferred level of spice or, if you want some sweet to go with the spicy, some fruit like mango, peach or pineapple. For those who prefer store-bought salsas, many of which are lower in calories and feature all-natural ingredients, Fooducate is a great website for comparison-shopping foods based on nutritional value and finding the most nutritious options based on your budget and tastes.

The Fitness

If there will be children or families attending your party, encourage some activities! If you have a yard or spacious room, start a game of touch football before the game or during the breaks. Make it kids vs. adults for some high-energy family bonding.

Or encourage physical activity and creativity through the halftime show. Suggest they make up cheerleading routines for the 49ers and Ravens, or dance routines with halftime show music, and turn it into a (friendly) competition if you’d like. The groups can perform before or after Beyonce’s halftime performance, and your dancers will get a boost of confidence from adoring fans praising their skills.

Don’t Forget The Fun

The Super Bowl, like any big sporting event, is all about having fun. Creative, healthy snacks  and fitness activities can be great starters for lively conversation and more meaningful memories. Make it an unforgettable day of togetherness -- and be the real MVP.

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For another great recipe option, check out the Chicken Rancheros recipe by this year's winning Cooking up Change team!

When Parents Unite, Great Things Happen

As the new year gets underway, parents across Chicago are coming together and developing plans for another great year of making changes to support healthy eating and physical activity in schools.

Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables is HSC's coalition that brings together parents and community members to create healthy school environments for the city’s children. This coalition held one of its quarterly meetings today, looking ahead to the coming months. 

Last year was a big year for Parents United. 

• Jovita Flores, manager of Parents United, was honored by the White House;
• Wellness teams across the city made new strides in their schools;
• The Cook County board formally recognized Parents United;
• Parent leaders discovered new strengths and talents through Parents United
• ... and much more. Read a full list of past blog posts here!

Of course, as Guillermo Gomez, HSC's vice president of urban affairs, said last year in an interview on the accomplishments of Parents United, "The formation of Parents United is still our biggest accomplishment! To bring together a group of parents who became leaders around wellness, to propose change to healthy food at the district level and then see the food change."

Today, as Parent United members gather and look ahead, HSC honors all the dedicated parent leaders who contribute their time and talents to making positive change in our schools. 

Listen to parent leader Karina Macedo tell her story, below:

 

Plus: Read the full interview with Jovita Flores and Guillermo Gomez about the founding of Parents United for Healthy Schools. 

Stop Germs! Handwashing Is a Winner in the Fight Against Colds & Flu

The flu has been making headlines all winter, and recent reports show that it's still an epidemic. As coughs, colds and the flu make their rounds through our schools, we're promoting a time-honored way to stay healthy: handwashing. Here's a roundup of healthy handwashing tips.

Six steps to wash and dry hands: 

1. Wet hands with clean warm water.
2. Apply soap.
3. Rub hands together vigorously and scrub all surfaces for 20 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. 
4. Make sure to wash under nails, watches and jewelry since millions of germs gather there.
5. Rinse with clean water.
6. Dry with a clean, single-use paper towel.

A fun way to help kids remember to wash their hands? Make it a club! 

The Scrub Club, an initiative of National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International, is a hand washing club that inspires and teaches kids to wash their hands to stop the spread of germs, while giving them the tools to teach their fellow students the techniques.

In the 2008-2009 school year, school nurse Luisa Ramirez, RN, from Lily Lake Grade School in Maple Park, IL created her own incentive program at her school using the ideas and steps from the Scrub Club... About 70 percent of the student population participated and the proper hand-washing techniques were taught in health class.

Students took home a Scrub Club Handout and on the back Ramirez created a form for students to share with the idea that each student would teach the handwashing steps to five other people. 

“They could be family or friends.  The family or friend signed the form, attesting they had received the training. They had a two week window to return their signed forms,” said Ramirez. “Kids had fun being the teacher at home. Parents were happy to see and learn from their children.”

When students returned their completed forms, they received a Scrub Club Sticker [pdf] to solidify their membership in the Scrub Club and were allowed to sign their names on the Scrub Club poster outside of the principal’s office. The class that returned the highest percentage of completed forms received a celebration.

Plus, now's the time of year to celebrate all the hard work and dedication of school nurses. All year long, school nurses advocate for healthier school environments, remind kids about healthy habits such as handwashing, and care for those affected by cold and flu season.

Check out some past blog posts about the amazing work of school nurses to promote handwashing and much more!

Case Study: How Healthy, Active Teachers Create a School Culture of Wellness

Today we're featuring a case study from Health in Mind, a new report from HSC and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), which details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. Here, we learned about professional development at Namaste Charter School in Chicago.

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by Kadesha Thomas

Namaste students participate in an outdoor exercise break at a nearby park.

It starts with the interview process.

When a prospective new teacher sits down to interview with Allison Slade, founder and principal of Namaste Charter School in Chicago, one of Slade’s first questions is, “What attracts you to our mission?” And then she listens for clues to whether the candidate will integrate into the school’s unique culture.

Namaste’s mission aims for academic excellence, and health and wellness is their way of achieving it. The school was founded in 2004 to fill a void in public education, one Slade felt was setting students up for poor performance by not ensuring that they were physically or psychologically healthy enough to learn. She wanted a school environment in which health and wellness principles—like nutrition and physical activity—were a part of the school’s mission, as well as a personal mission for individual school staff.

“It’s about how they think of themselves as a model for students,” Slade said of prospective teachers. “If you’re always walking around with a pop in your hand, that’s a problem. For students, a teacher’s behavior has an impact on them.”

Namaste’s culture of health and wellness is a shock to many new teachers. The day starts with a 15-minute morning movement, usually a yoga routine to “get younger kids to calm down and get older kids to wake up,” Slade said. The school’s 450 students, kindergarten through eighth grade, have 25 minutes of recess and 60 minutes of physical education each day.

During lunch, students have access to healthy food and learn about why that food is healthy. All teachers teach a 30-minute wellness block every day, where students learn about a pre-selected theme such as the human body, eating a balanced diet, safety and the benefits of physical activity.

Though the health and wellness culture resonates with new teachers’ personal values, most don’t know how to incorporate it into the classroom when they come to Namaste. But the shared mission among the teachers makes it easy for them to learn during Namaste’s rigorous teacher preparation. That preparation starts with a three-day induction specifically for new teachers. Sessions focus on introducing the new teachers to Namaste’s six core pillars—Nutrition/ Health and Wellness, Movement, Peaceful School Culture, Balanced Learning, Language and Culture and Collaborative Practice.

The induction takes place before the school’s summer break begins so that new teachers can observe classes, witness, and, afterward, discuss, how health and wellness are incorporated into the core curricula. The induction Namaste students participate in an outdoor exercise break at a nearby park.30 / Health in Mind / Improving Education Through Wellness / healthinmind.org also includes a session at a nearby yoga studio, to help new teachers understand the foundation for Namaste’s focus on mental health.

Over the summer, new teachers are given core reading and additional training on how to incorporate health and wellness topics into their trimester lesson plans. A seven-day orientation with all teachers also includes additional presentations on infusing health into the classroom. This is also a time when teachers outline the topics for the daily 30-minute wellness blocks. Each Friday afternoon during the school year, teachers come together to review and critique each other’s lesson plans for the coming week.

Student academic performance has confirmed Slade’s conviction that emphasizing health in the classroom boosts learning: nearly 87 percent of Namaste students meet or exceed state academic standards, compared to 73.4 percent throughout the Chicago Public Schools district. Namaste’s daily student attendance rate is also five percentage points higher than the district average.

“Attendance is high because the kids are healthier, so they miss school less,” Slade explained.

Teachers are also demonstrating their commitment to health and wellness among themselves outside of the school day. In May 2012, the staff started an afternoon Zumba class and several teachers have joined local residents to train for the Chicago Half Marathon in September.

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As the year progresses, we'll share more about Health in Mind and the progress of this initiative! For more information or to view the full report, please visit www.healthinmind.org.

Friday Recipe, Super Bowl Edition: Chicken Rancheros

Cooking up Change culinary team from Washington High School, with HSC President and CEO Rochelle Davis

It's no secret that we're big fans of the winning Cooking up Change lunch. It wowed our judges and recently it was served in Chicago Public Schools across the city. And now's the perfect time to suggest that the winning recipe be served on your very own table! We thought it'd be a great companion to another kind of competition, which Americans all over the country will be watching next weekend: the Super Bowl! Yes, we'd rather have all of America playing an active game (Flag football! Safety first!) but we also appreciate a little healthy family time. 

And how can you make that family time even more healthy? Why, serving up a dish from a Cooking up Change winning meal, of course. Here it is. Watch it disappear before halftime.

Chicken Rancheros

Ingredients

12 oz pre-cooked chicken breast strips 

6 T salsa                                                   

3 T cilantro, chopped               

1 tsp Cajun seasoning                                 

1½ tsp soy sauce                                       

1½ tsp Dijon mustard                                 

60 tortilla chips

3 T canned jalapeño peppers, diced

3 tsp cheddar cheese, shredded                                 

3 tsp mozzarella cheese, shredded   

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place chicken strips in medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Add salsa, soy sauce, Cajun seasoning and Dijon mustard.

Stir to combine.

2. Bring chicken mixture to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavorful and tender, about 10-15 minutes. Once mixture is fully heated, reduce heat to low.

3. Meanwhile, layer tortilla chips on an oven-proof serving dish.

4. Layer chicken mixture on top of chips, then add mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

5. Bake at 375° for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

6. Garnish with cilantro and jalapeños.

 

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Yield: 6 servings

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Thanks to the students at Washington High School for sharing their recipe with us!

 

New Report from HSC and Trust for America's Health Calls for Federal Action to Close Achievement Gap by Addressing School Health

HSC is excited to announce the release of Health in Mind, a new report from HSC and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), which details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. Here, taken from a press release written in partnership with Trust for America's Health, is more information about the report and on why we believe it's vital.

American children are struggling academically, and the nation faces a growing achievement gap that is increasingly tied to health disparities — today’s children could become the first generation to live shorter and less-healthy lives than their parents, notes the report.

Health in Mind offers a strong framework for addressing the nation’s most urgent health and education challenges by outlining strategies within the current regulatory and budget framework of the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services that the administration can utilize to better the conditions for health and learning in schools. The report also examines the research connecting health disparities with educational outcomes and presents case studies of innovative on-the-ground practices across the nation.

“We’ve never met a parent, teacher or school leader who didn’t recognize that healthy students are better prepared to learn,” said Rochelle Davis, President and CEO of HSC, a national advocacy organization that focuses much of its work on improving the food and fitness environment in Chicago schools. “But the truth is that vast health disparities exist in our nation and far too many children attend school in environments that do not support their health. Unless we address these challenges, our efforts to close the achievement gap will be compromised. The consequences are enormous for children’s learning and for their lifetime health.”

Health in Mind presents research, policy analysis and immediate recommendations focused on:

• Preparing teachers and principals to promote student health and wellness;
• Engaging parents in school health;
• Incorporating health and wellness into school metrics, accountability and recognition programs;
• Building the Department of Education’s capacity to address student health and wellness; and
• Placing a school nurse in every school.

“We are beginning to see an important shift in the way the nation addresses health and wellness,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “With Health in Mind and the National Prevention Strategy, we’ve begun to move toward integrating and thinking about health in all of the contexts —education, transportation, housing and other area s— that impact health. Specifically focusing on the connection between health and school will ensure students can do as well as possible academically and are healthier.”

“We know that health and education are inextricably linked; with that knowledge, we must shift how we approach both wellness and the school day,” said Dr. Gail Christopher, vice president for program strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “The Health in Mind report points us forward. Our communities truly can develop children who are healthy, smart and strong. Doing so will take creativity and commitment from leaders at all levels. I am confident we can rise to that challenge."

The report follows a May 2012 event at which HSC and TFAH, with the support of the nation’s largest education unions, presented a set of recommendations to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. At the event, both Sec. Duncan and Sec. Sebelius publicly expressed their support for the goals that would form the basis for Health in Mind.

In December 2012, ten members of Congress signed on to a letter to Sec. Duncan and Sec. Sebelius expressing their support for the recommendations. More than 70 organizations representing the nation’s health and education advocates have signed on to the Health in Mind vision statement.

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As the year progresses, we'll share more about Health in Mind and the progress of this initiative! For more information or to view the full report, please visit www.healthinmind.org.

Walk! Run! Dance! How Schools Help Kids Exercise Every Day

Photo by Flickr user

Recently we were thrilled to see physical activity spotlighted at schools around the country. 

At Eugene Field Elementary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, running and walking is suddenly in style. Kids get a bracelet that they can fill with colored shoe charms, earned for meeting their goals. The program  encourages students to collect more charms and get in shape:

“It’s a good way to lose weight, and I like to do it with my best friends,” [Simon Nelsen, a fourth-grader] said.

Last year, he played kickball, soccer or four square during his 15-minute breaks. But this year, “usually, I just run the whole recess.”

Parents and teachers get into the action at Saddlebrook elementary school in northwest Omaha, where students participate in “hike-and-bike Wednesdays,” filling in the gaps left by decreased time for physical education during the school day. 

Teachers meet students at corners in the Saddlebrook neighborhood and walk a few blocks to school. During colder weather, the school takes advantage of the attached community center walking track and allows students to walk inside before school.

“It’s great to get that exercise first thing in the morning,” Saddlebrook Principal Mark Suing said.

But walking isn't for everyone. At Springdale Elementary School in West Columbia, South Carolina, walking routines bored the kids, according to fourth grade teacher Susan Jenkinson. Instead, she said, “this year’s class just loves to dance."  

Jenkinson's approach won accolades this month from the BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina’s WalkingWorks Great Expectations for Health program. Her class was one of two in the state to be honored for increasing physical activity. (Although the BlueChoice program has "walking" in its name, classes could exercise in any format for 300 minutes over the course of 12 weeks.)

 With popular songs like "Gangnam Style" playing throughout the classroom, Jenkinson's students "get the wiggles out" during transition times at several points throughout the day.

At HSC, we encourage teachers and schools to be creative and look for opportunities to integrate physical activity into the school day. Have a great idea that works in your school or classroom? Tell us in the comments below!

Chef Mentors Make Cooking up Change the Experience of a Lifetime for Culinary Students

Earlier this month, the winning Cooking up Change lunch, created by culinary students from Washington High School in Chicago, made its cafeteria debut throughout the Chicago Public Schools system. The meal itself earned rave reviews during the contest, but the team's success depended on more than just a crowd-pleasing recipe. Washington students were fully prepared for every aspect of Cooking up Change by chef mentors and culinary instructors, and they worked hard as a team for many weeks, perfecting everything from their kitchen work process to how meals looked on plates. 

All that prep paid off especially well for Washington students, but every culinary team benefited from the incredibly dedicated mentors and instructors who guided them through Cooking up Change. 

Sarai Rosales in the kitchen at North-Grand High School

Sarai Rosales of Frontera Grill, chef mentor for the 2012 North-Grand team, had a particularly unique perspective. She started her culinary career as a Cooking up Change team member in 2008 and 2009. When we spoke with Sarai about her experience mentoring North-Grand, she said she's been thrilled to give back. 

"These students are the future, and it's important for us as chefs to stand up for what we believe in," she says.

Her experience in Cooking up Change shaped her journey towards working as a chef. She says, "When I did Cooking up Change in high school, I knew [cooking] was tough. But by the time I got to college, I had an understanding; I was like, 'OK, I know how to do this!'" 

Plus, Rosales made some changes in her own diet along the way. She says, "Now I'm able to drink raw juice with kale, banana, cilantro... back in high school, I didn't want that! It was too green for me! And I know I'm not the only kid who thought that way."

Last but not least, Cooking up Change helped her discover that she wasn't alone as a young person looking to change the world. She says, "Cooking up Change helped me network and work with students who thought like I did, who care."

Chef mentors fill this role, too, showing students that they can be both professional chefs and change makers as adults. And chef mentors are just as invested in winning as the students are. 

Immediately after Washington was named the winning team at Cooking up Change this fall, we caught up with their chef mentor, Teri LaMont from the Greater Chicago Food Depository. She stressed that Washington's culinary program had prepared students well, and as a mentor she was able to build on both students' knowledge base and on their drive for success.

"Their enthusiasm was so there," LaMont said that night as her students celebrated around her. "It was amazing to see younger people with so many big ideas."

HSC thanks all of the chef mentors and culinary instructors who make Cooking up Change possible each year, in Chicago at our flagship competition and in competitions nationwide. Washington High School will travel to Washington, DC in May 2013 to compete in the Cooking up Change national finals!