September 29, 2011—The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) is a key component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to end childhood obesity. Schools participating in the challenge adopt USDA standards for the food that they serve and provide nutrition education and opportunities for physical activity. The challenge features four award levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Gold Award of Distinction.
Congratulations to the districts in this list, which had one or more schools that achieved HUSSC designations in September 2011. As of September 28, 2011, 1,631 schools have achieved HUSSC certification. For a list of all of the award-winning schools, visit http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthierUS/awardwinners.html.
Alabama
• Montgomery County Schools: 1 Gold Award of Distinction • Phenix City Public Schools: 5 Gold Awards of Distinction, 1 Silver
Colorado
• Aurora Public Schools: 6 Bronze • Boulder Valley School District: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 23 Bronze• Charter School Institute: 1 Bronze
Iowa
• Knoxville Community School District: 1 Gold Award of Distinction • St. Augustin School District: 1 Gold Award of Distinction
Idaho
• Kootenai School District: 1 Silver • Lakeland Joint School District 272: 1 Silver
Illinois
• Chicago Public School District #299: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze • Fairview School District #72: 1 Gold Award of Distinction
Kansas
• Kansas Public Schools: 2 Bronze • USD #225: 1 Gold Award of Distinction• USD #244: 2 Bronze • USD #253: 7 Bronze • USD #377: 2 Silver
Missouri
• Nixa Public School District: 1 Bronze
New Jersey
• Boonton Public Schools: 2 Bronze • Long Branch School District: 1 Gold Award of Distinction
North Carolina
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: 2 Bronze • Chapel Hill - Carrboro City School District: 10 Bronze
North Dakota
• Medina School District: 1 Bronze • Mortin County: 1 Gold Award of Distinction • North Border School District #100: 1 Gold Award of Distinction
Tennessee
• Coffee County School District: 1 Gold Award of Distinction • Obion County School District: 1 Bronze
Texas
• Frisco Independent School District: 30 Bronze • Georgetown Independent School District: 8 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Utah
• Cache County School District: 11 Bronze
Virginia
• Prince William County School District: 10 Gold Awards of Distinction
Has your school earned a HealthierUS School Challenge designation? Feel free to share tips and ideas for success with your school nutrition colleagues by submitting a comment to this post.
The May 2011 issue of School Nutrition features an article on HUSSC best practices. For more information about the HealthierUS School Challenge, including criteria and an application, visit http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthierus/index.html.
HealthierUS School Challenge Information
HealthierUS School Challenge Award-Winning Schools
“Are YOU up for the Challenge?”—School Nutrition, May 2011
USDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces July HealthierUS School Challenge Winners
USDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces Latest HealthierUS School Challenge Winners
USDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces June HealthierUS School Challenge Winners
USDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces May HealthierUS School Challenge WinnersUSDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces April and May HealthierUS School Challenge Winners
USDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces March HealthierUS School Challenge WinnersUSDA Food and Nutrition Service Announces New HealthierUS School Challenge Winners
Hot off the presses – School Nutrition Association had a big week in the national media spotlight. Just days after the Chicago Sun-Times published SNA President Helen Phillip’s school breakfast article, an interview with Phillips about SNA’s School Nutrition Operations Report 2011 was featured in “Supermarket Guru” Phil Lempert’s The Lempert Report and Food, Nutrition, & Science newsletters. Click here to read the full story.
This weekend, Jean Ronnei, SNS, SNA Spokesperson and Director of Saint Paul Public Schools’ nutrition program, was a guest on “Good Day Supermarket Guru,” a food focused segment airing on “Doug Stephan’s Good Day Weekend,” a nationally syndicated radio show. Ronnei talked about how Farm to School programs and locally grown foods served in school cafeterias are helping get students excited about healthier food choices.
Also this weekend, SNA’s Director of Media Relations, Diane Pratt-Heavner, was interviewed live on FOX & Friends Weekend on Fox News Channel. Click below to view the interview, which reached over half a million FOX viewers: