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Past Winners 2016-2017: Takoma Park Elementary School On June 1, 2017 Takoma Park Elementary School (TPES) was awarded the School Food Improvement Award for their efforts in improving the school food environment and overall well-being of TPES students.
The award was given to TPES principal, Dr. Zadia T. Gadsden at the weekly afterschool farm stand established this spring by the TPES PTA Health and Wellness Committee in partnership with a local farm, Your Chef's Table. The Wellness Committee is led by HSFM School Representative and former HSFM Member Coordinator, Marissa Walker. The farm stand, which is stationed next to the playground, has successfully attracted a steady stream of kids and their families, as well as faculty, staff and community members. The fresh, local, seasonal produce comes from a farm in Montgomery County and is grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or GMOs. Pasture-raised eggs and chicken as well as fruits and vegetables are available, as well as complete meal kits using farm-fresh ingredients. The farm stand takes all forms of payment, including EBT/SNAP.
TPES has been a leader in school wellness initiatives over the last several years, including the launch of the Move More! Sit Less campaign in April 2015. This campaign provided TPES K-2 teachers with information and equipment (including yoga balls, wiggle seats, and other movement tools) necessary to infuse movement into their curricula and classroom routines, as well as to educate the broader school community about the benefits of physical activity and its link to improved health, cognition and academic performance. The following year, the Health and Wellness Committee documented active classrooms by creating an educational video, Minds on the Move, and still photographs that appear in large posters around the school. The Health and Wellness Committee now maintains a supply of movement equipment available to any interested teachers. Furthermore, recognizing that outdoor spaces are vital to whole-school wellness efforts, since 2013, the TPES PTA's Playground and Field Committee has:
HSFM is very proud of Takoma Park Elementary School, their many active PTA committees and parents and their supportive principal for their continuous efforts in promoting wellness for TPES students! 2015-2016: Somerset Elementary School and East Silver Spring Elementary School In June 2016, both Somerset ES and East Silver Spring ES were awarded the HSFM School Food Improvement Award for their exemplary efforts in promoting wellness and nutrition during the 2015-2016 school year. Because both schools made such tremendous progress in school nutrition this year, our awards committee decided to recognize both with the award.
Additionally, in cooperation
On June 14, 2016, HSFM presented East Silver Spring ES with
the School Nutrition Improvement Award. East Silver Spring ES has
made equally commendable efforts to promote health and wellness this
year under the leadership of HSFM Representatives Karen Kali and
Maggie Carey, with the support of Principal Adrienne Morrow,
Assistant Principal Tara Strain and the PTA. The school held their
first annual Wellness Night, which engaged students through smoothie
making, Zumba, mindfulness training and a fruit tasting,
Both Somerset ES and East Silver Spring ES have not only taken tremendous strides in promoting nutrition and wellness this year, but also plan to continue on this path and are eager to implement new initiatives next year. Both schools are recognized for their success in improving the school food environment and serve as a model to other schools in MCPS. 2014-2015: Chevy Chase Elementary School
On May 29, 2015, HSFM awarded Chevy Chase Elementary
School (CCES) the 2014-2015 Most Improved School Food Award
for their exceptional emphasis on school nutrition. Last
year, CCES created a formal wellness committee, which has
been the driving force behind many of the nutrition-related
changes that have been made.This year,
Furthermore, the staff at CCES has shown their support for nutrition education by inviting nutrition specialists to hold a workshop for parents in April on preparing healthy snacks and lunches.They also made an effort to keep parents informed and to get parents involved in the changes being made to improve the school food environment. In May, CCES hosted a Wellness Week dedicated to educating the students about nutrition. Assemblies were held featuring experts in healthy eating, and a program called "Eat the Rainbow" was promoted to get the children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables in a fun and engaging way. CCES has been an advocate for healthy living in the greater community as well as within the school. They held a fundraiser at Nava Health Center to teach parents how to update their holiday meals with healthier recipes and they held a parent-child fitness class fundraiser at Pulse Fitness. Other notable nominees included: 2013-2014: Bradley Hills Elementary School
On Sept. 20, 2014, Real Food for Kids - Montgomery (HSFM)presented Bradley Hills Elementary School with the "HSFM School Food Improvement Award" for the 2013-2014 school year. This award recognizes the school that has made the most positive progress in the past year to improve the school food environment. The advocacy work done by HSFM's school representative Lisa Mandell and their PTA's Wellness Committee, in cooperation with Principal Sandra Reece, is an example to all Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) of what can be accomplished with an organized parent effort and cooperative school administrators. Their efforts began at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year with a
parent survey on school food, which indicated that parents were
opposed to many of the a la carte items being sold in the cafeteria
and had concerns about the nutritional value of the hot lunches. PTA
Wellness Committee Chairs, Aimee Aronson and Lisa Mandell, arranged
a meeting between their school's principal, Sandra Reece, and MCPS
Food and Nutrition Services Director, Marla Caplon, to voice
parents' concerns. Following this meeting,
The PTA Wellness Committee frequently engages with parents to ensure
that their voices are being heard and that they are actively
involved in their children's health and wellness. The committee
The BHES Wellness Committee hopes to continue their success in the upcoming school year by holding a cookbook fundraiser in which students can submit their own recipes, bringing more nutrition and wellness speakers to parent meetings, as well as repeating the programs of the past year. Award Criteria ![]() The HSFM School Food Improvement Award recognizes school administrators and parents who have worked together to improve the school food environment. There are many different ways that your school may have exemplified such efforts. For example:
Calls for nominations go out in the spring of each school year to HSFM school representatives and through our listserv and a committee selects one winner each year. |
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