Orange County
Regional Award Winner
Regional Award Winner
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Glenknoll Elementary submitted the following three essays for consideration of the Governor's Challenge Competition Grand Prize: Essay 1 - Commitment to Promoting Healthy Eating on Campus Recognizing the link between health and learning goals, the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District had developed goals to provide nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities promoting wellness. At first Glenknoll Elementary resisted the district nudging us along. We reviewed district food guidelines … attended the district health faire – considered what we needed to do – and decided to change. Designing curriculum that promoted good nutrition was easy – 1st grade students learned healthy food choices support dental hygiene; 3rd graders worked with the Dairy Council to understand the role of calcium in diet. Students in 4th grade studied the relationship between food consumption and energy. Moving instruction outside the classroom into a garden, came through a Lowes grant along with plans to grow fruit and vegetables so students could tatse and compare the nutritional value of fresh versus processed foods. But changing our daily eating habits really tested our commitment to change. PTA served healthy treats on spirit days – a change from past practices. The principal stocked her candy jar with trail mix and dried fruit saying good-bye to chocolate treats. Sixth grade boosters suspended ice cream sales during the Governor’s Challenge and students earned “Cougar Pride” cards for bringing healthy snacks to school. At meetings, treats also reflected healthy choices. Teachers snacked on fresh fruit and raw vegetables. They read The Everything Smart Nutrition Book to reinforce healthy eating habits. By the end of the Governor’s Challenge, Glenknoll was at a turning point What would we serve instead of pizza and popsicles at future Principal’s Lunches? How would we influence room moms to solicit nutritional snacks for classroom celebrations? We don’t have all the answers but we know this – changing the food culture at our school is the “Glenknoll Challenge” and we are committed by our example to teach students to make healthy eating choices. Support of their Students’ Physical Activity and Fitness: PTA kicked off “Walk to School Day” with dads on corners as crossing guards passing out water to the over 300 students who walked to school. Two teachers parked their cars in a shopping center several miles away, and they too walked to school. As the idea of walking became a “cool” way to exercise, students joined the new Glenknoll Cougar Track Club – following any one of twelve teachers, the principal and/or campus supervisors around pine trees, across the baseball field, down a “forbidden” ditch on the playground and through the play structure. Twice a day, three times a week, up to 80 children at a time hiked, hopped, jogged and jumped for 30 minutes after lunch. When hiking off campus, delighted students chanted, “we are the Cougars, the mighty, mighty Cougars!” as they huffed and puffed up neighboring hills. Hikes were only one of many activities from which to choose – students also went to cardio kickboxing classes in the MPR – or organized games on the field. As student heart rates rose, school spirit soared. At the end of the Governor’s Challenge, students no longer content to hang-out begged for more activities, and PTA made a list of equipment to buy. 3rd graders invited their 1st grade buddies to play softball and after the game shared healthy snacks. Plans were made for teachers to take yoga lessons in the fall with students having a chance to sign up for yoga in an afterschool program. The days of standing around had disappeared. “The good thing about all of this,” said Nicole in 3rd grade “is that so many, many times free time was boring but now we have so many activities to try. We’re not getting into as many fights … and … we’re getting more healthy”. Need For a New Fitness Center: It’s been amazing … to watch Glenknoll transform. When we began the Governor’s Challenge, our students played at recesses – no games, nothing aerobic, for the most part they stretched their legs and breathed some fresh air. Staff wondered … is our school up to the challenge? We decided to push ourselves … to see what we could do. We learned our students were not only “up for it”, they wanted to go beyond. Most students finished 12 days and didn’t quit – deciding instead to “not just meet but to beat” the challenge by logging in every possible day. May 31st arrived, and the challenge ended but students wanted to continue to hike, begged to go off campus, yearned to go beyond the ¼ mile route we’d established through the neighborhood. A 1st grader was proud telling classmates he no longer weighed 100 pounds; he was making “smarter choices – eating fruits and vegetables – because he was in the Governor’s Challenge”. A new 6th grader, asked the principal if he could continue to walk with her – he’d had a hard time making friends and now along with the kids he met walking, he had a new adult friend. Mrs. Brennan, the campus supervisor who led students in daily in aerobics, asked if she could keep working out with students – students had more fun than when they just “hung out”. Moving forward, we are considering all kinds of new ideas … a 100 mile Cougar Track Club … cardio kickboxing … yoga ed for students and staff … we have no fitness facilities and we’ve proven we know how to “make do” but … we see how far we’ve come and wonder … if we had a fitness center … just how far could we go? |
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