New Haven Schools Honored as Some of Country's Healthiest Schools

From New Haven Public Schools:

School leaders from three New Haven Public schools will travel down to Washington D.C. on Friday, Sept. 30 to receive a 2016 National Healthy Schools Award. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, will recognize East Rock School, King Robinson School and Jepson Magnet School for transforming its environment into a healthier place.

East Rock, Jepson Magnet and King Robinson Schools will receive this award at the Alliance’s 2016 Leaders Summit on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. These three are the only schools in Connecticut to receive this award. To earn the National Healthy Schools Award, East Rock and King Robinson Schools will receive a Silver Award and Jepson Magnet School will receive Bronze improved its nutrition and wellness services and physical activity programs to meet or exceed stringent standards set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program.

The Healthy Schools Program provides schools guidance, professional development, access to national experts and evidence-based resources and tools to help them create and sustain healthy school environments. Schools are eligible for Bronze, Silver, or Gold National Healthy Schools Awards based on their level of achievement. The Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program is currently building healthier school environments through quality physical activity, health education and healthy eating for more than 19 million students in more than 31,000 schools in every state and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

“We applaud the achievements of our 2016 honorees and hope that schools across the country follow the example of East Rock School, King Robinson School and Jepson Magnet School,” said Dr. Howell Wechsler, chief executive officer for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “These schools demonstrate a commitment to the health of their students, which is particularly important because research shows students’ health has an impact on their academic and lifelong success.”

To further strengthen the Healthy Schools Program, the Alliance brokers, and implements voluntary agreements with industry leaders to provide schools better access to healthier foods, beverages, and physical activity. Additionally, the Alliance’s landmark agreement with the American Beverage Association has contributed to a 90 percent reduction in calories from beverages shipped to schools between the 2004-2010 school years. The Alliance launched its Healthy Schools Program in 2006 with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. To become a healthier place for students to learn and staff to work, any school in the U.S. can enroll and receive assistance and support at no cost.

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