Jacksonville Students Capture National Cooking up Change Honors
High School Teams from Across the U.S. Prepare Healthy, Tasty School Lunches
Winning student team with Cooking up Change national honorary co-chairs Christie Vilsack and Karen Duncan.
Congratulations to Alexus Baldwin, Leoniqua Jackson and Denver Singletary, the high school student chefs from Jacksonville, Florida who won the grand prize in the Cooking up Change National healthy cooking contest! The Jacksonville team presented a school lunch of Caribbean-inspired beef rib salad with Moroccan rice and sweet potato corn bread muffin.
The contest challenges teams of high school students studying culinary arts to create a healthy, great-tasting school meal with only six steps of preparation, ingredients commonly available to school food service and many of the other constraints that school nutrition professionals face.
The national finals, which took place at the USDA headquarters in Washington, DC, brought together six teams of young chefs from Chicago, Denver, Jacksonville, St. Louis, Washington, DC and Winston-Salem.
The Chicago team received an honorable mention for excellent side dish with their soup of sunshine and the Winston-Salem team received an honorable mention for excellence in display.
Winston-Salem students prepare to present to the judging panel
"We are so proud of the students who competed in Cooking up Change for their efforts to change the future of school food," said Rochelle Davis, President and CEO of Healthy Schools Campaign.
Congratulations to all the student chefs and many thanks to everyone who made Cooking up Change possible!
The Cooking up Change National Healthy Cooking Contest is generously sponsored by Platinum Sponsor Chartwells School Dining Services; Gold Sponsors Applegate Farms and Dannon; and Official Travel Partner Southwest Airlines. The contest is generously supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and hosted by the USDA.
Plus! Go behind the scenes of Cooking up Change with our video spotlight on the student teams and check out our interview with Jacksonville culinary arts instuctor Judith Schmidt »
Chicago Celebrates Schools Achieving the HealthierUS School Challenge with Go for the Gold
Largest Cadre of Schools in Midwest Recognized
Nineteen Chicago schools received national recognition this month for meeting the rigorous standards for food, fitness, and nutrition education set by the HealthierUS School Challenge, the challenge that First Lady Michelle Obama is urging schools to meet. The schools were recognized at a special celebration complete with marching band, local mascots and plenty of opportunities for physical activity.
This is the largest group of schools in the Midwest to receive such recognition and the first cadre to do so through Go for the Gold, HSC’s partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the USDA Midwest and the Illinois State Board of Education to support schools in meeting this challenge.
"Health and wellness don’t just happen. We are all partners in ensuring that health and wellness are priorities in the educational environment," said Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. "We view these schools as leaders and models for other schools, and look forward to greater CPS participation in the program in the coming year."
Congratulations to this impressive group of schools, and good luck to the many more schools that are already well on their way to meeting this challenge!
Plus: Benny the Bull shoots and scores for wellness! Check out video of his wild half-court basket at the Go for the Gold celebration »
PE Teachers Become Champions for Wellness, Learn from First Family's Fitness Trainer Cornell McClellan
Cornell McClellan, Personal Trainer to the First Family of United States, with students from McAuliffe School
Physical education teachers can be champions for wellness at school: that was the message that advocates, researchers and Cornell McClellan, personal trainer to the First Family of United States, delivered to PE teachers gathered at a special training in Chicago.
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| Cornell McClellan leads PE teachers in a physical activity demonstration |
Through this training, PE teachers were equipped to champion a culture of wellness in school, working with principals and other teachers to make healthy eating and physical activity a priority. In particular, PE teachers heard about the latest research connecting physical activity with cognitive function and academic success.
"PE teachers are teachers, and their work promoting physical activity is vital not only to student health but also to student learning" said Rochelle Davis, HSC president and CEO.
Teachers got resources and learned how their schools can become part of Chicago's Go for the Gold campaign, a city-wide effort to support schools in meeting the HealthierUS School Challenge, the program that first Lady Michelle Obama is urging schools to take on.
Cornell McClellan also led PE teachers in a workout and announced the launch of Chicago’s Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) Challenge, a program that encourages people to make physical activity part of their daily lives.
Green Clean Webinar Series Features National Leaders and On-the-Ground Experts
Free Webinars on Cleaning for Health, Protecting Environment
HSC is pleased to announce Green Cleaning Webinars for summer 2011! These concise and practical sessions, offered free of charge, can help you begin a green cleaning program at school or expand and enhance a program that is already underway. Webinars include:
Green Cleaning and Infection Control | June 27 | REGISTER
Building engineers and content experts will discuss strategies for controlling the spread of infections while maintaining a healthy school environment.
Sponsored by SCA’s Tork® brand.
New Technology and Green Cleaning | July 18 | REGISTER
Speakers will discuss the latest technology in green cleaning, review the new products they are using in schools and discuss strategies for creating buy-in among cleaning staff for new green cleaning technology.
Sponsored by Advanced Vapor Technologies.
The Dollars and Cents of Green Cleaning | August 1 | REGISTER
Speakers will discuss the financial benefits of green cleaning and share strategies for saving in product and labor costs.
Sponsored by Procter & Gamble Professional.
Process Cleaning for Healthy Schools | August 15 | REGISTER
Healthier cleaning processes in schools are good for workers, students and staff; they also make a difference for the long-term bottom line. Speakers will share tips for implementing a healthy cleaning program in a time of immediate budget crisis.
Sponsored by Kaivac, Inc. and ProTeam The Vacuum Company
To learn more about all the webinars and speakers, visit www.greencleanschools.org. |
