In This Issue

• HSC News: Recess Week, Wine Country, Marathon and Magazine
• Program Updates: Parents Work for Environmental Justice in Schools
• Recent Blog Entries: School Building Funding - Fifty Years After Little Rock; Beyond Peanut Brittle

HSC News

Celebrate National Recess Week

Teachers, parents, academic experts and eight-year-olds agree: kids need recess, and the chance to get some fresh air and run around outside helps improve their work in the classroom. Unfortunately, schools around the country are eliminating recess at alarming rates.

This week marks National Recess Week, a chance to speak up about the important benefits of recess and, in many cases, advocate for its return. National Recess Week is part of the larger Rescuing Recess movement dedicated to highlighting the importance of recess, especially in its role combating childhood obesity.

Learn more about Rescuing Recess and National Recess Week »

HSC has advocated for recess through our Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos Para Escuelas Saludables coalition, and discussed the issue in our recent issue of Healthy Schools magazine.

Cooking up Change Raffle & Auction Spotlight Fabulous Food, Spa Experiences
Grand Prize Trip to Wine Country Brings Wellness and Relaxation into Focus

Cooking up Change 2007 features an unprecedented array of fabulous raffle and auction prizes, including a luxury trip for two to the Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, Calif., the ultimate elegant oasis in the heart of wine country.

The resort, blessed by natural mineral hot springs, is surrounded by over 150 wineries within an hour's drive. For hundreds of years, ancient thermal mineral waters have graced this site, and bring focus to the spa's many relaxing and rejuvenating amenities. In addition to the mineral springs and spa (with mineral pools, baths, treatment areas, classes, fitness center and cafe), amenities include an 18-hole championship golf course, Kris Moe Golf School, gift shops, guided hikes and bike tours. Trip includes round trip air fare from anywhere in the continental U.S. or Canada served by American Airlines or United Airlines, a complimentary bottle of wine upon arrival, daily wine tasting, and daily complimentary breakfast for two.

Purchase your raffle tickets today and start dreaming of your luxury getaway!

What else can you win at Cooking up Change? The benefit will feature live and silent auctions with items to satisfy the foodie, athlete, gardener, spa enthusiast and traveler in all of us!

Prizes include a gourmet weekend experience for four at Chef Monique Hooker's farm, tickets to cultural and sporting events, dinners at amazing Chicago restaurants, yoga and pilates lessons, a 30 BG video iPod, and much more.

You can also bid on experiences for the kids in your life: a guest appearance on Spattulata, the chance to serve as page for the day in our State Capitol, and a great variety of other lessons and experiences.

Cooking up Change has sold out for the last two years, so be sure to purchase your benefit tickets as soon as possible!

We welcome new sponsors for Cooking up Change, as well as members of our host committee and donations for our live and silent auctions. Interested in learning more? Contact Claire Marcy or call (312) 419-1810.

Check out event details, purchase tickets or get involved online at the Cooking up Change website!

HSC Marathon Team Makes Final Preparations for World-Class Race

HSC's team running the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is just a little more than a week away from running this world-class race! This is a great time to make a contribution to support the team as they make their final preparations. You can meet our entire team online at HSC's NEW marathon team profile gallery.

Who is running for HSC? We're happy to introduce you to another member of our remarkable team:

Look for Candelario's story on posters promoting The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon throughout Chicago! "I grew up around 18th and Morgan in Chicago. I used to wonder why the runners who passed our house during The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon went through the pain and hardship. My oldest brother Roberto attempted it but didn’t finish. Then my twin brother Miguel ran his first Chicago Marathon in 2002, the fourth marathon he had run, and he finished. My family and I celebrated the accomplishment. Both Roberto and Miguel inspired me to start running, to feel the rush and the sense of accomplishment, and I have now finished four marathons. All three of us set a goal to complete the Chicago Marathon together, and last year we did!" Candelario Celio, Oak Park, Illinois Support Candelario's run »

To learn more about supporting HSC's marathon team, contact cheryl@healthyschoolscampaign.org  

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.

New Issue of Healthy Schools Released

HSC has released the Fall 2007 issue of Heatlhy Schools!

Read about the one-year anniversary of wellness policies, how NCLB affects physical education, green building, the return of recess, and much more.

Check it out on the HSC website, where you can download a copy of the magazine or sign up for a free subscription »

Program Updates

Parents Laying Groundwork for School Wellness

Antonia Salinas, whose children attend Benito Juarez High School, discusses strategies for forming School Health Councils at a Parents United training. Benito Juarez is now one of the first schools in Chicago to have a School Health Council in place.

Parents throughout Chicago are organizing and laying the groundwork for formally establishing School Health Councils (or School Wellness Teams, as they're called in some schools) after participating in training from HSC's Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos Para Escuelas Saludables.

Through the Councils, parents will work with principals to improve access to healthy food and physical activity at schools, as required by the district wellness policy.

Parents organizing the councils will reconvene October 4 to discuss progress and develop strategies for establishing health councils at additional schools.

Austin Community Parents Work for Environmental Justice at Schools

Asthma, indoor air pollution, and dangerous chemical exposures disproportionately affect people of color from low-income communities. Improving the environmental quality at schools can reduce dangerous exposures and make a difference for children’s health.

With this in mind, parents and school staff in Chicago's Austin community are coming together to form teams implementing the Green Flag program at community schools. Through the program, parents will make a difference for children’s health by improving indoor air quality and putting changes for safer cleaning chemicals, safer pest control, and safer diesel bus emission practices.

Healthy Schools Campaign and COFI (Community Organizing and Family Issues) are presenting this training, which is funded by an EPA Environmental Justice grant and is free to all participants. Parents and school staff in Austin community are welcome to join the training! The next session will be held Oct. 16. For details, please contact Claris Olson or call (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:

School Building Funding - Fifty Years After Little Rock | by Claris Olson
This week marks the 50th anniversary of federal troops' arrival in Little Rock, Ark., to ensure equity in education for nine African American students. Sadly, so many years later, huge disparities in public school construction funding still exist. This lack of adequate school construction funding has resulted in a situation where students in low income and minority communities spend their days in deteriorating buildings that adversely impact not only the students' learning, but also their health and the health of the staff and teachers who work in their schools.... Read more

Beyond Peanut Brittle: Successful Fundraising Without Junk Food | by Jean Saunders
Last week, I went to the first PTA meeting of the school year. The lineup of PTA sponsored activities planned for my son’s school this year sounds really, really cool. As the meeting continued, it became clear that it takes a lot of hard work to raise the funds necessary to support these enrichment opportunities. We were encouraged to participate in variety of fundraisers, including the sale of "gourmet edibles" such as "Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle," "Chocolate Delight Caramel Popcorn," "Peppermint Stick Creams,". . . the list goes on! For me, this sends the wrong message to my son and his schoolmates.... Read more

Green School, Great Community | by Claris Olson
I was recently able to join a group of teachers on a tour of Great Seneca Creek Elementary School in Germantown, Md. This was the first school to be certified LEED-Gold in Maryland under the new LEED standard for schools developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Although this school was less than 50 miles from Washington D.C., it was a world apart in every way from the inner city school I visited nearby. From the outside, the school didn't appear to be much different from any other newly constructed suburban school--but when we stepped inside and took a closer look, I was amazed at what I saw.... Read more

"It is imperative that we design the next generation of schools to teach about a more sustainable way of living, use minimal energy, eliminate the creation of toxins and waste and be interdependent with natural systems."
-R.K. Stewart, president of the American Institute of Architects, in a guest column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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

Greening Your Operations: Reducing Costs and Managing Change
Oct. 11
HSC is a co-sponsor of this event, an afternoon discussion about greening your operations – from profitability to procurement, energy management to green design. | More

Safe Chemicals in Education Workshops
For science teachers interested in using less hazardous and non-toxic materials, and safely storing and disposing of hazardous materials. Eight different dates and locations. | More

Asthma Walk
Oct. 13
Walk and raise funds to support the 22 million Americans who currently suffer from asthma | 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

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 »

Business Development Consultant
HSC is seeking an individual to assist the organization in developing program related business opportunities. This is a six month, part-time position. | More

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Awards Program
Deadline: Oct. 8
For school districts effectively maintaining environmental health in their school buildings by improving indoor air quality | More

Indoor Air Quality Lesson Plans
Series of K-12 lesson plans that supplement the U.S. EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program and kit | 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

School Breakfast Award
Deadline: Nov. 30
Awards for successful or innovative school breakfast programs. Prizes up to $3,500. | More

Runner's World
"Run With David: Chicago Marathon" | Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and honorary team captain of HSC's team running The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, is featured in this Runner's World profile. | More

Housekeeping Solutions
"Cleaning for Health" | HSC's Claris Olson is quoted in this article about starting and maintaining a green cleaning program. | More

View all coverage »