With the Marion Elementary School sixth-grade leadership group looking on, KDHE Secretary Roderick L. Bremby explains the “portion plate,” a tool that approximates serving sizes of basic food groups with familiar objects. For instance, one portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. The students are holding a HealthyKansas flag, which Bremby awarded to each of the three schools.
All three of Marion’s schools were recognized last week for their successful participation Gov. Kathleen’s Sebelius’ HealthyKansas program.
On the governor’s behalf, Roderick L. Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, presented a “Healthy School Award” to each school, plus a program flag, T-shirt and other promotional tools during the Marion Elementary School awards assembly Thursday morning.
Marion schools participated in the coordinated school health program jointly administered by the KDHE and the Kansas Department of Education.
Rod Garman, MES principal, credited school nurse Janice Waner for coordinating the various activities related to the HealthyKansas program, including:
n hosting monthly “Family Fun Nights,” which include students and families spending the night in the school gym participating in activities and eating healthy snacks;
“Wellness Wednesdays” for district staff;
30 minutes of daily physical education for students;
district-wide scavenger hunts to emphasis physical education and nutrition;
nutrition fairs, healthy snacks for district staff and newsletters to parents.
Sebelius launched the HealthyKansas initiative in November 2004 as an effort to control health-care costs, improve the quality of health care and raise awareness of the dangers of obesity in children and adults.
HealthyKansas encourages children in schools, adults in the workplace and seniors in their community to make simple, but powerful lifestyle changes.
Counting the three USD 408 schools, 112 schools across the state have been honored to date for “building cultures that promote increased physical activity, good nutrition and the avoidance of tobacco among students, staff and the community.”
