In This Issue

• HSC News: Cooking Contest Winners, NYC Marathon, Environmental Justice and more
• Program Updates: Child Nutrition, School Nurse Leadership, Green Clean Summit and More
• Recent Blog Entries: Happy Halloween; Cooking Lessons with Love (and Spills); and More

HSC News

Student Chefs Shine at Cooking up Change

Student chefs from Chicago Public Schools wowed guests at Cooking up Change 2008 with healthy cookies and tastes of the school meals they presented to judges in the Healthy Cooking Contest. Students created the great-tasting meals with the nutrition requirements and budget (less than a dollar for ingredients!) that Chicago school food service leaders face.

The winning meal will be served throughout the city’s high schools in 2009. Congratulations to all the student chefs and to the winning teams:

Thanks to our Event Chair Kelly Dettmann and Contest Co-Chairs, Lisa Gershensen and Elaine Sikorski this event was the most successful benefit HSC has ever hosted. Our dedicated host committee worked tirelessly to make Cooking up Change a success. And the generosity of our sponsors made the event possible.

To learn more, visit www.cookingupchange.org. Stay posted for photos and video of the cooking contest!

Good Luck in New York, HSC Runners!
Marathoners Make a Difference for Healthy Schools

Members of HSC's charity athletics team are making final preparations for the ING New York City Marathon this Sunday, Nov. 2.

Runners raise funds for Healthy Schools Campaign while training for this world-class athletic event. Good luck to all the runners!

You can be part of the effort by making a donation to the HSC runners or lacing up your own running shoes and joining the team in running other races around the world.

To learn more, contact Allie Krass at 312-560-4994.

Parents, community leaders and public health officials gathered at an HSC Lunch & Learn on Oct. 21 to hear about lessons learned from the four-year NIEHS-funded Partnershipto Reduce Disparities in Asthma and Obesity in Latino Schools. HSC is a lead partner in the Partnership and continues the project's work through the Parents United for Healthy Schools coalition.

Children accompany their parents to the Oct. 21 Lunch & Learn event.

In 2004, in response to staggering rates of asthma and obesity that children in Chicago’s Latino communities face,the Partnership launched an intensive four-year campaign to empower parents in Chicago’s Latino communities to bring about changes in school food and fitness so that children will have the opportunity to live healthy, successful lives.

Four years later, over 900 parents are involved and parent leaders are helping 46 schools serving 35,000 students establish wellness teams.

Guests at the Lunch & Learn heard from community leaders, university researchers and the parents who raised their voices for change.

To learn more or request a copy of the project full report, please contact HSC’s Guillermo Gomez at 312-419-1810.

Sign the Petition for the Future of School Food
Raise Your Voice for a Healthy Child Nutrition Act

Click to add this badge to your website!

While the next president of the United States will face tremendous challenges, he will also have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference for children’s health and well-being at school.

HSC is working with advocates around the U.S. to request that the next president make a healthy reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act a priority for the administration. The 2009 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act offers the chance to create a future for school food in which fresh, healthy meals are the norm and all children have access to the type of comprehensive nutrition education that creates healthy habits for a lifetime.

Please add your name to the list of concerned parents, teachers, school nurses and advocates speaking up at this important moment in history. HSC will deliver the petition to the new president of the United States to ensure that the Child Nutrition Act is a priority for the administration.

Plus: When you sign the petition or sign up for Child Nutrition Act updates, you'll receive a coupon for $1.00 off your next purchase from Applegate Farms!

School Nurse Leadership Training Kicks Off in Chicago
Nurses will create change for food and fitness

HSC Board Member Phyllis Pelt address school nurse leaders.

School nurses from throughout Chicago Public Schools gathered on Oct. 24 for the first session in HSC’s three-part School Nurse Leadership Training series addressing food and fitness in schools.

The session focused on strategies for implementing district wellness policies and forming effective school-based wellness teams.

School nurses, as the only medical professionals in the school setting, have an important responsibility to play an active role in promoting school health and wellness. The training will empower school nurses to create change in their schools and to engage in setting policy to make schools healthier places.

Plus: HSC is now accepting applications for our next School Nurse Leadership Training, to be held in Wheeling, Ill. beginning in Jan. 2009. Applications are due Nov. 21, 2008.

Learn more at HSC’s School Nurse Resource Center.

Advocates Prepare for Green Clean National Summit
Building Coalitions for Green Clean Schools Laws

HSC is pleased to announce the first national summit dedicated to bringing green clean schools laws to every state.

In 2006, the state of New York passed a law requiring green cleaning in schools. In 2007, Illinois passed a similar law. Now, activists in more than a dozen states are planning to introduce legislation requiring schools to protect the health of students and staff by implementing green cleaning programs.

Please join Healthy Schools Campaign and advocates from around the country for a special Green Clean Schools National Summit, building on this momentum to bring health-promoting green cleaning laws to every state in the nation. The summit will connect local activists and national organizations to build strong, effective state-level coalitions. Learn more at www.greencleanschools.org/summit.

Plus: A limited number of scholarships are available to cover the cost of travel for non-profit advocates. Contact Mark Bishop at 312-419-1810.

Recent Blog Entries

HSC's staff experts discuss news stories and new developments every week at the HSC Blog. Stop by and leave a question or comment. And while you're there, enter your email address for automatic delivery on days when a new blog entry has been posted. Here's a look at some of our recent posts:

Cooking Lessons with Love (and Spills)| by Mark Bishop
In the continuing saga of trying to raise a healthy eater, my two-year-old, Henry, and I have started cooking together. It’s been a fun process of sharing, making messes and eating -– but I couldn’t be happier with the results. The other day Henry and I sat on the ground and put together the ingredients to make oatmeal. It was great to watch his natural curiosity as he inspected the raisins and dumped in the "crunchy almonds," and his excitement as he got to take his own "baby-sized apples" from my bowl of diced ingredients. My wife videotaped us making some soup. . . Read more

Cooking up Change Goes Waste-Free! | by Claris Olson
For the first time, I am pleased to announce that Healthy Schools Campaign’s annual fund raiser Cooking up Change is going waste-free! We'll be joining the ranks of organizations including the U.S. Green Building Council and Seven Generations Ahead in making our event waste-free. Waste minimization, elimination and recycling are easy when you are talking about bottles, cans and paper. The biggest challenge in holding a waste-free event is what to do with things such as food waste, tableware and trash can liners. . . Read more

HSC Charter School Partner Highlighted for High Standards| by Rochelle Davis
We are very proud that one of our charter school partners, Noble Street Charter School Network, was recently featured on NPR. The story praises Noble Street Charter School Network for preparing low-income immigrant students for college. According to the story, they have a zero dropout rate, and 80 percent of their students go on to college. Well, one of the stories behind the story is Noble Street Charter School Network’s commitment to promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles. . . Read more

Happy (Healthy) Halloween! | by Jean Saunders
Happy Halloween! Ghosts, goblins, and all things scary have been on display in my neighborhood for a few weeks and the seasonal aisle in the local grocery store has been filled with Halloween treats. This morning, my sleepy middle-schooler’s greeting to me was, “Can you help me with my costume later and how are we going to carve the pumpkin this year?” Apparently there are no classroom parties at my son’s middle school, though the kids in his class still plan on some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. How could I engage my son and his friends in Halloween fun that is less candy-intensive? . . . Read more

"The kids are loving it when they get to do their math by standing up, going around the room and measuring the dimensions of the desks and picture frames,"
- Elly Zanin, physical education curriculum specialist for Broward school district in Florida, on strategies teachers are using to integrate physical activity into other subjects, as quoted in the Miami Herald

Events

More Than Just Breakfast: Integrated Pest Management, Green Cleaning and Your School | Nov. 6 | More

Green Charter Schools Conference | Nov. 7-9 | More

Green Clean Schools National Summit | Nov. 12 | More

EPA IAQ Tools for Schools National Symposium | Dec. 4-6 | More

Students compete for chance to create new lunch menu
10.23.2008 | TheMash
This story in TheMash, a new Chicago Tribune publication for high school students, highlights the work of student chefs competing in HSC’s Cooking up Change Healthy Cooking Contest.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute's Spring Policy Internships
Deadline: Nov. 21, 2008
For those interested in careers in sustainable agriculture policy advocacy who want help in gaining experience, networking, and career assistance | More

HSC Interns
HSC welcomes interns with a variety of interests and skills. | More

Love Your Veggies Grants
Deadline: Nov. 7, 2008
Ten $15,000 grants for offering fresh vegetables and fruits through the 2009-10 school year | More

Captain Planet Foundation Environmental Grants
Deadline: Dec. 31, 2007
Funds hands-on projects to encourage youth to solve environmental problems in their communities | More

Youth Garden Grants Program
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2008
For schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs | More

"Increase your Green" School Competition
Deadline: Ongoing
Reduce the carbon footprint of your school this fall to win up to $1500 to further the efforts | More

Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool
Manage school environmental health and safety issues with fully integrated, flexible, free software tool from the U.S. EPA | More

Lather Up!
Free handwashing resources and activity for children| More [pdf]