In This Issue

• HSC News: Cooking up Change, Green Building Pioneers, Marathon and more
• Program Updates: Advocates Speak Up for Healthy School Food
• Recent Blog Entries: Green Schools, Staff Wellness, Safe School Buses

HSC News

Cooking up Change Celebrates Fabulous Food and Unprecedented Achievement

Student chefs from Chicago Vocational Career Academy

Cooking contest judges Ambassador Carol Mosely Braun (R) and Chef Clifford Rome (L)

At Cooking up Change, our 5th annual benefit, Healthy Schools Campaign celebrated the remarkable achievements of 2007 in the one-of-a-kind atmosphere of Salvage One with many of the dedicated allies and generous supporters who make our work possible.

The stars of the evening were culinary students from 15 Chicago Public Schools who created delicious appetizers, desserts and school meals for competition in the healthy cooking contest at the benefit. Students served their appetizers and desserts to guests at Cooking up Change, who then cast their ballots for audience choice awards. The overall winners in each category were determined by a panel of local chefs and celebrity judges.

The winning entrée in the school meal category -- red beans & rice with smothered apples and candied carrots prepared by students at Chicago Vocational Career Academy –- will be served for lunch in high schools throughout Chicago. Congratulations to the contest winners in every category and to all the amazing student teams.

Congratulations as well to Ken Swanson of the Illinois Education Association for winning a luxury trip to Sonoma in the Cooking up Change raffle!

We extend our sincere appreciation to our generous sponsors, host committee members, auction donors, volunteers and attendees.

Heartfelt thanks to Cooking up Change co-chairs Melissa Graham of Purple Asparagus and Monogramme Events; Michelle Hassan of Chicago Public Schools; and Phil Mott of Kendall College.

Plus: Check out media coverage of Cooking up Change in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune blog, and NBC-5 Chicago!

HSC Lunch & Learn Series to Feature Green Building & Green Cleaning Pioneers
Anja Caldwell and Kurt Larson Headline HSC Events in Chicago Area During National Greenbuild Conference

HSC is hosting a series of Lunch & Learn events featuring national pioneers in the fields of green building and green cleaning:

Green Design in Action: Bringing the Academic, Financial and Health Benefits of Green Design to Your School
Nov. 6
Anja Caldwell, the Green Building Program Manager for Montgomery County Public Schools and self-described "proud parent of the first LEED certified school in Maryland," will share her experiences and insight on ways that all schools can benefit from green changes and ideas. Join us to learn how you can bring the academic and financial benefits of green design to your school community.
Learn more or register online »

Green Cleaning in Schools: From Policy to Reality
Co-sponsored by the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council
Nov. 7
Kurt Larson, who headed up New York’s implementation of a policy requiring green cleaning in schools, will share his experiences and insight on this statewide change. The program will also include perspectives from the Office of Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, as the state of Illinois embarks on implementation of a new law requiring green cleaning in schools. Come learn about the challenges and opportunities in making green cleaning a reality for all schools.
Learn more or register online »

HSC Founding Executive Director Rochelle Davis Wins Chicago Tribune Good Eating Award

Congratulations to HSC founding executive director Rochelle Davis for winning the 2007 Chicago Tribune Good Eating Award! Check out the profile and photo in the Tribune. The profile explains that Rochelle "helps others realize the positive connection between good food, good living and good health."

Congratulations to Rochelle for an award that recognizes years of hard work, vision and commitment to protecting children's health and our environment.

HSC Marathon Team Battles Record Heat, Raises $30,000 for Healthy Schools

HSC marathon team members (L-R) Susan Sloan, Arlene Sagan and Beth Presten

Congratulations to HSC’s team of runners who battled record high temperatures to compete in the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2007. Our team raised approximately $30,000 for healthy schools! You can meet the runners on HSC’s marathon profile page.

HSC is now accepting applications for charity runner bibs for the 2008 Boston Marathon and the 2008 ING New York City Marathon. (With the HSC charity bib, you don’t need a qualifying time for Boston or a lottery for New York.) To learn more about participating in these marathons or another event on behalf of Healthy Schools Campaign, please call (312) 419-1810 or email Cheryl Kaplan.

Thanks to School Health Corporation for its generous support of our marathon team and to Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s weekly news quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! for serving as our Honorary Team Captain.

Program Updates

Advocates Speak Up for Healthy School Food
State Board of Education Seeking Input by Email and at Upcoming Forums

Illinois leaders are seeking public input on recommendations for improving the nutritional quality of food available in schools. To make these recommendations a reality, HSC is working to make sure that members of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) know that there is public support for improving the quality of food in all schools.

Access to nutritious food can lead to invaluable benefits for children's health and readiness to learn. You can learn more about the issue and express your support for improving the quality of food in schools online at the HSC website.

Plus: Discuss healthy school food at HSC’s blog »

Parents Making Progress with School Wellness Teams

Abraham Dueñas explains the cooking techniques used to prepare healthy food for the parent training.

Parent leaders working to create School Wellness Teams (or School Health Councils, as they are also called) in Chicago Public Schools convened Oct. 4 to report on progress and use experiences from the past two months to develop strategies for establishing wellness teams at additional schools.

The parents are organizing as part of HSC's Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos Para Escuelas Saludables, a coalition of more than 30 parent and community organizations in Chicago’s Latino and African-American communities.

In establishing School Wellness Teams, parents are creating formal venues for affecting change related to food and fitness in schools. The district wellness policy adopted by Chicago Public Schools in September of 2006 identifies the formation of wellness teams working with school principals as important in the implementation of policies supporting student health and wellness.

Parents’ strategic effort to establish School Wellness Teams took shape during a 4-session Parents United training series in Aug. 2007.

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:

Green Schools, High-Performing Schools, LEED Schools – Good Idea No Matter What You Call It | by Mark Bishop
One of the most promising, important ideas in school design is generating more and more discussion lately—even though many of us are not always sure what to call it. Some people say “green schools,” some say “healthy, high-performing schools,” some just say “LEED schools,” but the meaning is essentially the same: building schools that use less energy, limit their environmental footprint, and provide a healthier learning environment through better lighting, better acoustics and better overall design.... Read more

Chicago Teachers’ Contract Includes Staff Wellness Initiatives | by Rochelle Davis
I am glad that the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Board of Education reached an agreement about their contract without a strike and very glad that this contract recognizes the importance of teachers’ health. While I do not have the expertise to provide an overall evaluation of the contract, it’s great to see that the contract includes a number of programs which promote staff wellness .... Read more

The Road to Safe School Buses| by Anna Frostic
The typical back-to-school jitters for parents and kids include the fear of a new teacher, new friends, or even a new school…but what about the school bus? Buses are often heralded as the safest way to transport kids to and from school, but are they the healthiest? .... Read more

"What we’re seeing is that the nation’s schools really are making progress in addressing the obesity crisis. We need all the nation’s schools to have environments that make it easy for children to make healthy choices."
- Howell Wechsler, director of the division of adolescent and school health at the CDC, as quoted in the New York Times

HSC Lunch & Learn: Green Design in Action
Nov. 6
Join us to learn how you can bring the academic, financial and health benefits of green design to your school | More

Lunch & Learn: Green Cleaning in Schools - From Policy to Reality
Nov. 7
Come learn about the challenges and opportunities in making green cleaning a reality for all schools | More

Ready, Set, Go - Green Cleaning Seminar
Oct. 30
HSC's Claris Olson will speak at this seminar on green cleaning in schools hosted by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials | More

Environmental Health Policy Town Hall Meeting
Oct. 31
HSC’s Mark Bishop will speak at this town hall meeting sponsored by the Illinois Public Health Association’s Environmental Health Section | More

IASB/ IASA/ ISBE Joint Conference for School Officials
November 17
HSC will present on two panels at this conference:
“It’s Easy Being Green and It Helps Students Learn” at 10:30 and
“Clean, Green and Lean: The Benefits of Cleaning for Health and Energy Conservation” at 1:30. We will also host a booth (#411) with resources for school leaders | More

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium
Dec. 6-8
HSC friend and green cleaning advocate Bill Thompson is speaking at this national event, where attendees learn about resources to support and implement good Indoor Air Quality practices in schools. | More

View all events »

Chicago Sun-Times
"Student chefs create healthy school fare" | This article spotlights student chefs competing in the healthy cooking contest at HSC’s annual benefit, Cooking up Change | More

View all coverage »

New Asthma Resources
Website by EPA Region 5 offers asthma information and resources | More

Junk-Food-Free Schools Video Contest
Deadline: Nov. 1
Calling young filmmakers to make the case for getting junk-food out of schools. Win a $100 iTunes gift certificate | More