SPRINGDALE : Districts land grant money for program
Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008
SPRINGDALE — Students from nine schools in three Northwest Arkansas districts will participate in a program aimed at boosting fitness and nutrition in schools nationwide.
The Springdale School Board learned Tuesday of a $ 13, 000 grant from the American Dairy Council to the district’s schools to launch the “Fuel Up to Play” program.
Through the program, students in Springdale, Rogers and Fayetteville middle schools will organize in teams of 10 to complete one physical goal and one nutrition goal together.
“This is a get up and get moving thing,” said Cricket Scott, regional school nutrition manager for the Midwest Dairy Council.
The project, a partnership with the National Football League, provided similar grants to the other two districts. Schools in nine other metropolitan regions around the country will complete the two-year program with the potential for successful plans to be implemented nationwide, she said.
The students will work on a fitness goal, which could involve activities like group sports or dancing, Scott said.
Teams also will create a nutritional goal. She provided the example of creating a studentled advertising campaign for healthy school cafeteria food.
The student with the most successful idea will win a trip to New York City for the NFL draft in April. In addition, one Northwest Arkansas student will win four tickets to a professional football game, where they will be a “junior broadcaster,” doing playby-play from the press box. The program’s goal is to develop activities for children that they can understand and appreciate, Scott said. “There’s going to be some great ideas, and I’m sure there will be some things that I’ll get phone calls about,” she said. “Adults just don’t think like middle school kids.” The contest fits with existing programs at Springdale schools, said Susan Buchanan, the principal of Tyson Middle School. The school uses “Chewy Cafe,” which encourages healthy eating, and “P. E. 4 Life,” a program that uses unconventional activities like rock-wall climbing in physical education classes.
To contact this reporter: eblad@arkansasonline. com
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