Posted by Ed Mekeel, USDA FNS Public Affairs Specialist on May 27, 2011
With a name like “Lentils of the Southwest aka Sweeney Cougar Power Lentils,” who says a healthy elementary school lunch can’t be exciting? On Wednesday, May 18th, students at Sweeney Elementary School in Santa Fe, N.M., served judges a spicy and delicious side-dish in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition.
Posted by Cordelia Fox, Public Affairs Director, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Western Region on May 27, 2011
The bay area of California is home to some celebrity chefs but it is the lesser known student chefs at Skyline High School that are making the bulbs flash and the critics swoon. Well before the official judging team arrived at Skyline High School in Oakland, California, the local entry, Spanish Chickpea Stew,had already passed the toughest test of all -- winning high marks from Skyline students in a cafeteria taste test.
Posted by Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Department of Education on May 26, 2011
Throughout May, the White House and Department of Education have celebrated Physical Fitness and Sports month—an annual reminder to us all of the importance of physical activity in our daily life. Yesterday, I joined Andrea Cernich with the President’ s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on a visit to Oxon Hill Elementary School in Prince George’s County, Md., to talk with district officials, school leaders, teachers, parents, and others about how students with disabilities can fully participate in the school’s physical education and sports programs.
Posted by Debbie Smoot, Southeast Regional Public Affairs Director, USDA Food and Nutrition Service on May 26, 2011
Historical Charleston, S.C., blends the traditional Southern American, English, French, and West African elements into a celebration of its colorful and rich culture. Burke Middle & High School in Charleston celebrated this mix of colorful culture with its semi-finalist recipe, Confetti Soup, making a history all its own through nutrition. The rich wintery soup made with black-eyed pea dots, mixed together with savory smoked ham and dashes of greens, was the center piece at a judging event in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition, held at the school on May 25.
Posted by Debbie Smoot, Southeast Regional Director, Food and Nutrition Service on May 26, 2011
Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville, N.C., is known for its rich heritage, arts, and fine dining. Recently, students from Ira B. Jones Elementary School, located in Asheville, shared a taste of another well-known region of fine dining – Tuscany – as the school’s recipe team prepared their semi-finalist recipe of Tuscan Smoked Turkey and Bean Soup for the judges in the First Lady’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition.
Posted by Peter Soeth, Public Affairs Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Interior on May 25, 2011
Last Saturday morning, the sun shone brightly over Lake Bastrop near Austin, Texas, where 28 kids and 14 boat captains joined hundreds of volunteers to experience the joys of fishing at the Bureau of Reclamation's 8th Annual Catch A Special Thrill event.
Posted by Aaron Lavallee, USDA Office of Communications on May 25, 2011
Every now and then we come across a great story of people making change in their communities and so it was on the next stop in the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition. Tribal communities are focusing a lot of attention on ending the epidemic of childhood obesity in Indian Country and attention and credit is due to Monument Valley High School in Kayenta, Arizona. Located on the Navajo Nation, they are the only school district in Indian Country to make it to the semi-finals of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition.
Posted by Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services on May 24, 2011
Have you cast your vote? The selection period for the Popular Choice Award in the First Lady’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition will close soon, so it’s time to make your voice heard. The First Lady and the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the competition last September, challenging teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, and community members to develop creative, nutritious, and kid-approved recipes that schools can easily incorporate into National School Lunch Program menus - and families can try at home. And I just want to say that I think Recipes for Healthy Kids is a really neat idea. It draws on America’s culinary creativity and our commitment to the healthy lifestyle we all aim for. Chefs are providing culinary expertise, school nutrition professionals are sharing insight as to what can be accomplished in a school setting, and kids and parents are making sure that students will choose these nutritious items in school and beyond.
Posted by Julie Curti, Assistant to the Director, USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on May 24, 2011
There’s a lot going on in the Church Hill North neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia! For three years, the congregation at 31st Street Baptist Church has been growing fresh vegetables in an urban garden behind their church. More recently, they launched a healthy living campaign to encourage the congregation and the surrounding community to get active and eat more nutritious foods.
Posted by Susan Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services on May 23, 2011
The space shuttle wasn’t the only launch in Houston last week! At a meeting with thousands of museum professionals I had the great honor of joining First Lady Michelle Obama as we launched Let’s Move! Museums and Gardens.
Posted by Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition on May 23, 2011
Warmer weather brings a greater opportunity to get outside and be active! To encourage all of us to incorporate physical activity into our daily lives, President Obama signed a proclamation declaring May National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, a tradition that started in 1983. In the proclamation, President Obama calls on the American people to make daily physical activity, sports participation, and good nutrition a priority in their lives.
Posted by Ali Kelley, Deputy Associate Director for Let’s Move Outside! on May 20, 2011
At 10:00 this morning, the National Mall was alive with motion as nearly 500 elementary school students from the DC area came together to kick off the first ever National Kids to Parks Day (NK2PD), which takes place tomorrow, May 21. National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis joined Grace Lee, the Executive Director of the National Park Trust (NPT) to inspire the crowd of children before they jumped into a series of stations that got them moving and offered important lessons about the great outdoors.
Posted by Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition on May 20, 2011
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to travel to Miami-Dade County to observe first-hand their commitment to physical activity for all. Miami-Dade and I Can Do It, You Can Do It awarded 1,253 Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) certificates to students with disabilities. I was lucky enough to be there to present the PALA certificates to the students.
Posted by Joe Toole, Associate Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Safety on May 19, 2011
Last week, in 90 countries around the world - from Argentina to Tanzania – and in 30 cities across our nation, people of all ages held events to celebrate the launch of the first UN-sanctioned Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). The symbol of the Decade of Action is a yellow road safety “Tag” and elected officials, celebrities and leaders everywhere - from U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood to Sesame Street’s Grover - have been sporting the Tag.
