This week's healthy schools snippets

High school athletes spread healthy message

DENVER – At City Park, 13 young men from East High School line up and run football plays, honing their skills. They’re taking part in a nonprofit program called Athletics and Beyond.

“We use athletics to capture the attention of young adults,” said Narcy Jackson, the executive director of Athletics and Beyond. Watch this 7NEWS report.

Area teens lobby for fed bill on eating disorders

High school students in the Boulder Youth Body Alliance serve as peer educators, regularly talking to other teens about eating disorders and the importance of body acceptance. Read more in the Daily Camera.

Parents needed for sustainability committee

GREELEY – District 6 invites parents to serve on its Sustainability Management Plan Committee and help establish practices for use of sustainable resources and energy.

The district has received assistance from the Governor’s Energy Office to create a sustainability management plan, which the committee will help develop. Sustainability can include recycling efforts, composting, reducing paper consumption, promoting waste reduction, reducing water consumption, protecting the local watershed, encouraging alternative modes of transportation (walking, biking, car pooling), and energy reduction.

The committee currently seeks two parents as additional members. This committee meets on a quarterly basis, and parents will be asked to serve through the 2011-12 school year.

The next meeting is scheduled for 9:30-11:30 a.m., Friday, April 15, at the Poudre Learning Center.

Applications are available here. The application deadline listed on the application may be ignored, as the application period has been extended to allow additional parents to apply. To be considered a candidate, please complete the application and return it to the District 6 Chief Operations Officer, 1025 Ninth Ave., Greeley, 80631. Applications can also be e-mailed to jschultz@greeleyschools.org.

Safe Routes to School trainings planned

Parents, school staff and other community members are invited to attend any one of three Safe Routes to School trainings the week of April 18th.  If you haven’t already attended one of these session, you will find the the information to be enlightening. The session will provide information to assist you, and your school/community wellness leaders, in optimizing student safety and community health – all while traveling to and from school.  Lunch is provided and walking shoes, encouraged.

Colorado Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is pleased to sponsor three presentations of the Safe Routes to School National Course in the Denver Metro Area:

*   April 19 – Valley View Elementary School, 660 W. 70th Ave., Denver

*   April 21 – Adams City Middle School, 4451 E. 72nd Ave., Commerce City

*   April 21 – Welby Montessori School, 200 E. 78th Ave. Denver

This free course provides participants with the knowledge and skills to develop sound Safe Routes to School programs based on community needs and conditions, best practices and responsible use of resources. The day concludes with participants developing an action plan for their own community.

Attend with a friend. Community leaders, school officials, health and transportation professionals, law enforcement officers, parents, neighbors and others interested in helping children walk and bicycle to school are encouraged to participate.

To register, contact Marissa Robinson, Colorado Safe Routes to School, 303-757-9088.

Daily exercise may be required in Colo. elementary schools

A proposal to require 30 minutes of daily physical activity for Colorado elementary students is headed to the governor.

The House gave final approval Tuesday to a measure directing school districts to make sure students are getting daily exercise. That can include recess, physical education classes, or field trips. Read more in the Denver Post.

Lafayette elementary schools boost safe routes to school

Solar school zone lights and solar pedestrian crosswalks will be installed at three BVSD elementary schools in Lafayette, thanks to a 2011 grant from the Colorado Transportation Commission.

The Lafayette project was put on the “A” list, which means it is among the top priority projects and that work will begin as soon as authorization to proceed is given on August 2011. Ryan Principal Tobey Bassoff credits Sanchez parent Jenny Conlon for initiating the grant proposal that resulted in this award.

“The best thing to come out of this is that our children will have safe options to get to school and it will encourage more children to walk or bike to school,” said Conlon, senior clerk in the Lafayette Public Works Department.

Administered by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Safe Routes to School Program uses a comprehensive approach to make school routes safe for children when walking and bicycling to school. SRTS programs can improve safety, not just for children, but for the entire community.

Boulder Valley students plant school gardens

Students at elementary schools throughout the Boulder Valley School District got their hands dirty this week, planting lettuce in their community gardens in anticipation of a “salad feast” in May. Read more in the Daily Camera.

About our First Person series:

First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others trying to improve public education. Read our submission guidelines here.