You may
remember this HDC
Advance post from a year ago reporting that 21 Washington schools had won
the HealthierUS School Challenge. If you thought that was good, wait until you
hear what happened this year.
The number of
award-winning schools doubled.
No, not
nearly doubled, not almost doubled. Exactly twice as
many schools won awards this year. We must be doing something right!
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| Photo credit: HUSSC |
The HealthierUS
School Challenge (HUSSC) is a voluntary
certification initiative for schools participating in the National School Lunch
Program. It supports First
Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move
campaign by recognizing schools that are creating healthier school
environments through their promotion of good nutrition and exercise.
Sponsored
by the USDA Food and
Nutrition Service, the initiative
encourages all schools take a leadership role in helping students to make
healthier eating and physical activity choices that will last a lifetime.
To receive any of the bronze, silver, gold and
gold of distinction awards, the schools had to meet the 2012
HUSSC criteria to show that they have
taken the necessary steps to improve
the nutritional quality of the foods they serve, provide students with nutrition
education and physical education, and opportunities for physical activity.
National recognition is great, of course, but each
award also comes with a monetary prize: $500 for bronze; $1,000 for silver;
$1,500 for gold; and $2,000 for gold of distinction.
Want to find out if your children's school made
the mark? Here's
the list of the 42 winning Washington
schools.
To read this story in Spanish, click here.
To read this story in Spanish, click here.
