We thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the essay’s from the 2009 Blue Apple Awards. Starting with Kaiserslautern Middle School in Kaiserslautern, Germany – a Department of Defense Dependents School…and a 2009 Blue Apple Award Winner!
Kaiserslautern Middle School (KMS) is guided by a data-driven, content standards-based, student-focused vision. In October 2007, KMS was presented data that indicated a large number of its students were overweight or obese and an equal number at-risk due to weight-related issues. The KMS principal contacted Mrs. Blakley, the World-wide Consumer Advocate for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), and forged a partnership based on nutrition literacy as the first line of defense for student health.
KMS’s sixth grade teachers created a nutrition and wellness program, entitled Food for Thought, which supported standards in all core content areas. The commissary served as an extension of the classroom as students took regular tours to learn about nutritional choices and how they affect family health. Mrs. Blakley worked with teachers, parents, and students to ensure all were making healthy choices. The Food for Thought program is totally transportable, and the next step includes plans to make it available to all DeCA commissaries and Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS).
The KMS schedule was adjusted from a traditional block schedule to a seven period day to ensure all students had the opportunity for health education. The program was enhanced this school year to include a fitness component. Volunteers for the military community have been recruited to facilitate outdoor activities to ensure KMS students are continuously moving their bodies and focusing their
minds on nutrition and health. A daily program has been established whereby students document their mileage with the goal of virtually walking by grade level to three different high deployment locations. The program not only incorporates physical activity with nutritional awareness, but also serves as another way to support our deployed parents and troops.
All Kaiserslautern Middle School stakeholders are extremely enthusiastic about our wellness plan and are eager to guide our students to become healthy, happy, and physically fit adults.
Don’t forget to apply for the 2010 Blue Apple Awards. Your school could win and you could win at trip to Indianapolis, In for the National AAHPERD Convention. Application are located here: http://blueappleaward.org/page/index/Application
