VOTE November 2nd!

Tuesday, November 2nd is election day so make sure you get out and vote. To locate your polling place visit: http://www.elections.state.il.us/voteinfo/pages/ElecAuthorityList.asp and choose your county.

Healthy Schools Campaign Activities

CPS Taskforce to Promote Healthy Eating and Smart Choices Holds Second Meeting

The CPS Taskforce to Promote Helathy Eating and Smart Choices held its second meeting with over 40 people participating. The Taskforce members discussed the three initiatives that have been developed in response to the priorities established by the Taskforce at the previous meeting. The initiatives are Cool Foods: Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Grammer School Students, Eat Smart: Promoting Healthy Snack Choices among High School Students and Coordinated School Health.

On October 27th, CPS selected a new vendor who will replace Coca-Cola products in school vending machines with pure juices, sports drinks and water. On November 15th, more than 1,085 vending machines will be removed and replaced with the new machines containing healthier alternatives. Earlier this year, the new policy regarding healthier snacks in vending machines was implemented. The Eat Smart Initiative is designed to insure successful implementation of this policy.

For more information on the CPS Taskforce contact Camille Reid at camille@healthyschoolscampaign.org

Reducing Disparities in Asthma and Obesity in Latino Schools

The Healthy Schools Campaign recently received a four year grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health and Sciences to form the Partnership to Reduce Disparities in Asthma and Obesity in Latino Schools. Partnering with Cook County Hospital and the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Midwest Latino Health and Research, Training, and Policy Center, the Healthy Schools Campaign will work with two grassroots community-based organizations: West Town Leadership United and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of grassroots community organizing in mobilizing schools to implement sustainable environmental solutions as a method of reducing asthma and obesity.

On September 2nd partners conducted local community visits to learn about the history are the neighborhoods and current issues they are addressing. Also, the partners visited community schools to assess the local school environments and to learn from the principals about the issues that are confronting their schools today.

Currently, the partners are preparing action teams and getting ready to engage with parents, school officials and other local groups to finalize the early stages of the project. For more information about this project, contact Guillermo Gomez at ggomez@healthyschoolscampaign.org.

The Campaign is Looking for A Good School Nurse

The Healthy Schools Campaign is now hiring a Project Coordinator for the School Nurse Leadership Project. The purpose of the project is to provide leadership training for school nurses and provide them with the resources needed to promote best practices in the school environment around the prevention of asthma and obesity. This is a part-time position with a flexible work schedule. Funding has been secured for 5 months. Working from a home office is possible. For more information visit our website at: http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/employment.html

Welcome new board members

The Healthy Schools Campaign has added eight new members to their Board of Directors! Help us in welcoming Martha Bergren from UIC School of Nursing, Dianne Campbell from Perspectives Charter School, Laura Garza from SEIU Local 1, Bette Lawrence-Water from Healthy DuPage, Clem Mejia from the Regional Office of Education/Kane County, Phyllis Pelt from UIC Department of Public Health, William Phillips from the University of Illinois at Springfield, Myrtis Sullivan from the UIC School of Public Health and Betty Wine from Naperville Central High School.

Community Presentations

This has been a busy month for Rochelle Davis, HSC’s Executive Director. On September 20 she addressed the CPS Stakeholders Collaborative sponsored by American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago. On September 29th she was a presentor at the Working Towards Consensus in 2004-1005; TheAdvocates Summit sponsored by the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children. On November 2 she will be meeting with the Committee on School Health of the American Association of Pediatrics, Illinois Chapter and in mid-November she will be speaking at the West Suburban Dietetic Association meeting. If you are interested in having her or a Healthy School Campaign staff member make a presentation, contact Guillermo Gomez at ggomez@healthyschoolscampaign.org.

New Staff Member

On September 27th, the Campaign hired Claire Marcy as our new Development Officer. Claire has 10 years of experience as a community organizer. She recently spent five years as Co-Executive Director of Blocks Together, a grassroots organization based in Chicago’s Humboldt Park. She comes to the Healthy Schools Campaign with a broad knowledge of fundraising and a commitment to efforts that lead to a more just society. Claire has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from DePaul University, and is currently working towards a Masters in Public Policy and Administration at Northwestern University. Please welcome Claire to our staff. She can be contacted at claire@healthyschoolscampaign.org.

Resources

Grant Opportunity – Reducing Emissions from School Buses

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced plans to provide financial assistance to school districts interested in retrofitting school buses and purchasing ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Parties interested in these retrofits may contact Toyota and obtain more information by calling 1-703-934-3040 or going to Toyota's Clean Buses for Kids website: http://www.cleanbusesforkids.com/.

November 12, 2004, is the deadline for an expression of intent.

New National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities Publication

Need Space? School Facility Public-Private Partnerships: An Assessment of Alternative Financing Arrangements, written by the Appleseed Foundation and published by NCEF, examines a variety of options for public-private partnerships in school facilities financing. Methods of structuring the debt and partnering for construction are illustrated with case studies. Legislative and property issues with state and local governments are cited, along with ideas for creative occupancy partnerships and the prudent management of facilities created by these partnerships. See http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/appleseed.pdf

New CHPS Document on Maintenance & Operations

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) has released the latest volume of its Best Practices Manual. Volume IV, Maintenance & Operations provides maintenance and operations staff, teachers, and administrators with strategies for avoiding the poor maintenance practices that can diminish the energy performance of a school. See http://www.chps.net/manual/index.htm#v4

Schools as Centers of Community

Schools as Centers of Community: A National Search for Excellence The KnowledgeWorks Foundation announced the winners of its national search for schools that best exemplify schools as centers of community. Unlike traditional design competitions, the Foundation's national search placed a strong emphasis on community engagement, the design of the facility for community use, and community partnerships. The winning schools are featured on a new website that includes overviews of each school, photographs, site plans, and contact information. See http://www.nationalschoolsearch.org/

In the News

The Campaign in the News

The Campaign released a Back to School Environmental Checklist (Checklist) on Sept 7th, 2004. Chicago NBC affiliate News Channel 5 walked with the Campaign through Naperville School District 203 to see how a school can implement an indoor air quality program and how the Checklist can help a school identify problems before they occur. To learn more or to view the newscast, click here: http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/index.php?id=41,153,0,0,1,0

Other News

City schools to lose their fizz
October 27, 2004
By Ana Beatriz Cholo, Chicago Tribune
Swapping Coke for juice in vending machines in Chicago's public schools is supposed to help students keep off weight, but it could also trim $15 million from the district over five years.

Schools taste-test healthy lunch food   
October 13, 2004
CNN.com - AP
As she devours a sweet potato pancake at a taste test at her school, fourth-grader Paige Murset gives her seal of approval: "I like it. It's really, really sweet."

For Teresa Heinz Kerry, Food Is Personal and Political
October 12, 2004
New York Times
At lunchtime in a grand old house surrounded by maples just beginning to turn, the fragrances wafting from the kitchen where Teresa Heinz Kerry taught her three sons to cook were so tempting it was difficult to concentrate on the expressionist paintings from the 1960's on the walls of the living room.

Superintendents Ask for Funds   
October 7, 2004
Linda Lutton, The  Daily Southtown 
Superintendents from around the state gathered to appeal to members of the General Assembly and the governor to approve more money for the state's school construction grant program.

Study: Overweight Students
Sapping School Finances
September 24, 2004
CNN.com - AP
Expanding waistlines are squeezing the bottom line of the nation's schools, as poor eating and exercise subtly strip money from education, a new study suggests.

Food for Thought
September 29, 2004
ABC Chicago - Channel 7
During this time when there's concern about the health of America's children, school lunches are beginning to become an important focus.

What's a Student's Best Choice?
September 22, 2004
Chicago Sun-Times
Which is better for a school child -- a school lunch or brown bag from home? The answer may come as a surprise.

Workforce Center with be state's first 'Green' building   
September 18, 2004
Michele Steinbacher, The Pantagraph  
The $19 million Heartland Community College workforce development center will be built as the state of Illinois' first officially "green" building.

No More Mystery Meat
September 13, 2004
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Washington (AP) -- The tempting smell of pepperoni pizza drifted through the air as students poured into the cafeteria. 

Namaste Charter School
Fights Child Obesity - VIDEO
September 3, 2004
TODAY on NBC 
Namaste Charter School (Chicago, Illinois) is breaking ground in its fight against Childhood Obesity...

City Schools Slash Construction Plans  
August 25, 2004
Ana Beatriz Cholo, Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Board of Education is poised to pass a $369 million capital budget Wednesday--the smallest since Mayor Richard Daley took over the schools in 1995.