Two New Rochelle Schools Commended for Fight Against Obesity

In the last decade, schools across America have been trading salty snacks for fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias. On Monday, two schools in New Rochelle were commended for their efforts continuing on the path for a healthier generation of students.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, recognized and William B. Ward Elementary School for revamping their meals service and physical activity programs.

These programs must meet or exceed stringent standards set by the Alliance for the Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program, which provides expert advice and free resources to more than 12,000 schools nationwide.

NRHS and Ward Elementary, both Bronze National Recognition Award winners, joined 274 other schools that received this honor for their healthy achievements.

“We commend the dedication of our healthy schools for their efforts to offer students and staff nutritious meals and a variety of physical activity opportunities,” stated Ginny Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

“Their success proves that despite academic pressures and budget constraints, schools can develop environments that foster healthy lifestyles to benefit young people now and into the future,” she said.

Dr. Monifa Tippitt, house principal at NRHS, and Margaret Murphy, school nurse at Ward, traveled to Little Rock, AK, Monday for the Alliance’s National Healthy Schools Forum to receive the awards in person on behalf of their schools.

“We are delighted to receive this award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation,” said Franco Miele, principal of Ward Elementary School. He said he was proud of the faculty and staff who played a major role in the success of the project.

The goal of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices.

The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation joined forces in May of 2005 to create a healthier generation by addressing one of the nation’s leading public health threats: childhood obesity.

The Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health such as homes, schools, restaurants, doctor’s offices and communities.

For more information on the organization, you can go to www.healthiergeneration.org.