Healthy Schools News

USDA Awards Kelly-Miller Middle School in their HealthierUS School Challenge
Congratulations to the Kelly-Miller Middle School for receiving a silver award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture! It is the first school in the District of Columbia to be presented with the silver-level honors, and the first D.C. middle school to receive recognition in the HealthierUS School Challenge.

River Terrace Elementary School Making Debut on TV One
Join First Lady Michelle Obama in an hour-long TV special, airing Friday on TV One, as she takes Roland Martin around the White House vegetable garden and discusses different components of her children’s health initiative. Viewers will also get the chance to see River Terrace Elementary School, a local school that was recently awarded the USDA’s Gold award for the HealthierUS School Challenge.
Watch “Let’s Move with First Lady Michelle Obama” on TV One (Comcast Channel 1) on Friday October 29th, at 10 PM ET.

Tom Vilsack helps bring the spirit of the Let’s Move! Campaign to a Northwest D.C. School
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan and a group of volunteers on Saturday to construct a new playground for the Hyde Leadership Charter School. Over 500 volunteers joined Vilsack, on right, including his wife and many of the school’s students. Thanks to their hard work, today stands a brand new playground that’s ready for the community to enjoy!

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Gives Golden Carrot Award to D.C. Public Schools
As a runner-up, the DCPS will receive $1,000 to benefit their food service program. The Golden Carrot Awards began in 2004 as a part of their Healthy School Lunch Campaign. Its aim is to give recognition to those food service programs that are dedicated to making school lunches healthier for children. (PCRM News Release, 10/13/2010)

Afterschool Meal Program Makes the Front Page of the Washington Post
D.C. Public Schools are helping to fight hunger and improve nutrition through the roll-out of the Afterschool Meal Programs at 99 schools. (The Washington Post, 10/19/2010)

Congress approved a Continuing Resolution
 which adopts the District’s fiscal year 2011 budget which includes funding to support the Healthy Schools Act of 2010. Schools can receive local funding for complying with Healthy School Act requirements as of October 1st. (Office of the State Superintendent of Education, 10/1/2025)

D.C. schools join the salad bar movement
“Elsie Whitlow Stokes School, along with six others in D.C., have salad bars thanks to United Fresh. It’s one of several groups raising private money to put them into schools that need them most.” (ABC7/tbd.com, 10/6/2025)

got breakfast? Foundation Announces Silent Hero Grants
The “got breakfast?” Foundation announced its third round of Silent Hero Grants to award grants of up to $5,000 each to public schools, non-profit private schools and non-profit organizations participating in the national School Breakfast Program. The deadline for submitting the application is November 15, 2010. A total of up to $50,000 in grants will be announced by February 1, 2011. (PR Newswire, 9/15/2010)

HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) Honors Two D.C. Schools
HUSSC recognizes schools that are supporting school wellness through the promotion of nutrition and physical activity. Nationally, only 840 schools have been selected for this honor. Congratulations to Kelly Miller Middle School (silver) and River Terrace Elementary School (gold) – the only two schools in the District — on achieving HUSSC certification. As the Healthy Schools Act is implemented, more schools will likely achieve this national recognition. (USDA, 10/25/10)

Dr. Beverley Wheeler, President and CEO of the Center City Public Charter Schools and the former Executive Director of the D.C. State Board of Education, speaks out on the importance of school breakfast:
“’What have you done today to dramatically impact student achievement?’ This is the question that I ask all Center City Public Charter School teachers, principals, and staff each day. Right now, we can impact student achievement by feeding students a healthy breakfast. That’s why I love the idea of serving free breakfast each day in the classroom. It’s a simple way to say to students that they are important and we’re going to make the effort to make sure they are fed.”