TOWSON, MD— This spring, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation gave Arbutus and West Towson elementary schools national recognition awards for meeting or exceeding stringent standards for healthy school environments.
Arbutus Elementary will receive the Alliance’s 2013 Silver National Recognition Award and West Towson Elementary will receive the 2013 Bronze National Recognition Award. They are the first schools in the Baltimore area to receive awards from the Alliance; last year the only Maryland schools awarded were in Prince George’s County. More than 30 BCPS schools participate in the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program.
“It’s wonderful that not one, but two BCPS schools have taken the steps to achieve these awards,” said Health, Physical Education and Dance Coordinator Sally Nazelrod, who helped bring the program to the system. “It’s not an easy process, but the results far outweigh the effort in responding to one of the nation’s biggest health crises—childhood obesity.”
Award levels are determined based on schools’ completion of criteria outlined in the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program framework. The framework is divided into seven content areas: policy/systems, school meals, competitive foods and beverages, health education, employee wellness, physical education and student wellness. Schools participating in the program create a wellness council and conduct a health inventory that is used to develop an action plan outlining criteria of importance in each category. Schools that complete a sufficient number of criteria become eligible for recognition awards.
To meet the criteria for their awards, West Towson Elementary implemented a range of health-oriented changes, including changing their breakfast and lunch menus and adding two-minute fitness routines to the school’s morning announcements to meet the required 60 minutes of weekly physical education. With support from the Parent Teacher Association, Arbutus Elementary replaced processed foods with whole foods for classroom celebrations, and began requiring that all students in grades 3 to 5 complete individualized physical fitness plans.
“This year’s honorees are an example for schools across America. Their hard work and commitment to make health a priority for students and staff is to be admired,” said Ginny Ehrlich, chief executive officer of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, works to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity and to empower kids to develop lifelong, healthy habits. The Alliance works with schools, companies, community organizations, healthcare professionals and families to transform the conditions and systems that lead to healthier children. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/18d01Vw.
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