Competing for a healthy makeover
Here at Outliers, we share in the growing concern that as America’s schools are forced to tighten their belts by cutting physical education and health programs, America’s students are being forced to loosen their own as a result of the missed instruction and activity.
Joining in that concern is a group of physical education and health organizations that is focusing on the dearth of healthy-living education in schools with a competition that will kick off in September, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.
The Healthy School Makeover competition calls for video submissions from primary and secondary schools throughout the country explaining why their school needs a healthy makeover, and how they will improve the healthy living of their student body.
The winning school will be chosen by a panel of judges, and golfer Annika Sorenstam will present the school with the grand prize, $45,000 worth of phys-ed training and equipment. “Budget cuts continue to negatively impact health and physical education programs,” Paul Rosengard, the executive director of Spark, says in a news release. “The Healthy School Makeover Contest will transform one location into a model healthy school, and we hope it will spark countless others to follow suit.”
Spark, a public health organization that focuses on physical education and after-school programs, is managing the contest. More information can be found at bit.ly/HealthySchoolContest.