Getting Savvy – Using Your FUTP 60 Resources

February 18th, 2012

Well, the big game is over, the 2010 NFL season is history, but Fuel Up to Play 60 continues to reach more than 850,000 Indiana students on a regular basis. That means 73% of Indiana students are in schools that participate in Fuel Up to Play 60 at some level. So what’s been going on?

Brownsburg West Middle School has been quite busy making improvements to their school’s opportunities for physical activity. Here’s what Program Advisor Cassie Brooks says: “Students told me that our fitness room was “boring.” One of my goals is for students to feel comfortable using exercise equipment so they will be more likely to use a gym at their apartment complex or college, or join a gym as an adult. Therefore, we brainstormed ways to improve the look of the room.”

“Four additional staff members have started using the fitness room regularly (which makes about 10 who are using it several times a week). Students are frequently asking if they can use the fitness room during P.E. class. When given the choice, 10-12 students per period prefer the fitness room to other P.E. activities. Students came up with the idea of purchasing and posting a large mural on one of the walls. My Fuel Up to Play 60 club viewed some of the options as a group, and we selected a mural of the Colts at the line of scrimmage. They also found motivational quotes online and we made them into decorative posters.”

“Our building principal was impressed with the work of the Fuel Up to Play 60 club so he pitched in some extra funds to purchase a new treadmill for student and staff use. It pays to be patient when making purchases. I was able to save quite a bit of money on the mural because I signed up for a mailing list on the company’s website and received a great coupon. I also made the purchase when there was a holiday sale so I ended up saving about 40%.”

“Our next step is to make framed signs showing how to use muscle strength equipment including medicine balls, hand weights and resistance bands. Students are volunteering to have their “step 1″ and “step 2″ pictures taken to show proper form for basic exercises.”

As you can see, Cassie is very savvy about getting the most from her resources, and she’s a great example of a Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor!

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Student Ambassador and Program Advisor Go to Washington DC!

August 25th, 2011

On July 14, Greg More and I traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Leadership Training Summit. We were both filled with excitement about growing our knowledge and skills for the program, and also to meet people from across the nation who share the same passion.

Greg More, State Ambassador, and Cassie Brooks, Program Advisor from Brownsburg West Middle School

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by adult and student leaders from diverse backgrounds. We made immediate connections, sharing excitedly about our experiences with Fuel Up to Play 60 in our schools as we went on a night walking tour of the White House, Washington Monument, and a few other local sights.

Our second day at the summit was packed with fun team challenges, delicious healthy food, and some hard work at the Newseum. The primary focus of the day was media training. With constant presence of
still and video cameras, we learned how to direct our interactions with the media in order to put out the specific, positive messages we want about our goals and achievements in Fuel Up to Play 60. We also received pointers about how to represent the program well. We were given frequent opportunities to
practice our new interview skills on tape and developed much greater comfort expressing our ideas in front of the camera. I was proud of Greg, who was often the first to volunteer!

Greg and I also participated in leadership training, which included an inventory of our personal leadership style while working with groups. In addition, we were involved in a number of team-building challenges. A few of them seemed rather silly, but they provided a fun way to understand our
collaboration styles and gave us a variety of activities we can use at school as we build teamwork among our local student leadership in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

One of the rewards for our hard work was the opportunity to meet Sam Bradford, quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. He spoke with us about how fueling up with healthy foods and staying active helped him achieve his goals and continue to benefit him in his career as a professional athlete. He commended the student representatives for being leaders of positive change among their peers. Sam stuck around for pictures, signed FUTP 60 souvenirs, and even threw a few passes to the kids.

We capped off the second day with a bus tour of our nation’s capital. The weather could not have been
better, and the tour was an enjoyable time for more interaction with our new Fuel Up to Play 60 buddies.

On the final day of the summit, we highlighted some of our successful initiatives and brainstormed solutions to some of the challenges we face while implementing Fuel Up to Play 60. We were also treated to a demonstration by celebrity chef Carla Hall. She entertained us with her fun
personality as she taught us how to make our own granola. We all dug into the samples, served atop low
fat yogurt. Ms. Hall also imparted her wisdom about using fresh ingredients, making our own foods, and cooking with all our senses to help us truly enjoy food.

The last day of the summit also included a lot of reflection and focus on the future. Throughout the summit, we were encouraged to respond to prompts in our journals. Before we left, we spent time
outlining our goals for when we get back to school. For Greg and me, this includes starting a
walking recess and daily one-minute activity breaks, as well as growing our “Taste the Rainbow” initiative to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. We are very excited to get rolling for this school year and received such a boost through our attendance at the summit. We became informed,
encouraged, and energized to continue effectively in our work to get kids to fuel up and play 60. Greg and I are so grateful for the opportunity we had to attend the summit and build our knowledge and skills. We are putting them to good use already, and making plans for even greater things to come!

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Mt. Healthy Students Get Healthy

June 15th, 2011

We invited two local football coached from our two high schools to bring two players out from each and run a football conditioning workout for our students on January 13, 2011. Then we had a tasting party for our studentswho tasted 13 different foods, everything from marninated artichoike hearts to fresh apple pears. Our caferteria ladies and our PTO were a huge help in this program. Getting 300 students through 13 food stations was a bit challenging. I will spread out the tables next time. We had a survey with the categories “LOVED IT,” “OK,” ”YUCK” and ” I DIDN”T TRY IT” for the foods, and that was very interesting. The yogurt was the most “LOVED IT” food, and the marniated artichoke hearts were the biggest “YUCK” food.

Favorite food in the Taste Test - yogurt!

Later on, people from the Indianapolis Colts came and put on a fitness camp for our 4th, 5th and 6th graders. We did quickness drills, worked with hand weights and jumped rope for a complete 40-minute workout. After the workout, we all enjoyed different flavors of low-fat milk to fuel our bodies back up. Our principal joined in the workout, as did many of our teachers.

I wanted students to be more informed about healthy food choices, so I made up a relay using the food pyramid and the “super 19″ as my guide. We raced to the hoops and got healthy food from each of the food groups. All students participated in this event during an extra special P.E. time. My FUTP60 committee helped me make up the game.

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Rosa Parks – Edison Elementary Know How to Fuel Up to Play 60

June 15th, 2011

Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary is excited to combine our efforts with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Fuel Up to Play 60 organization. Since 2007, students and staff have made significant changes in the health of our school.

Major changes have transformed the breakfast and lunch offerings. Students now have daily recess, physical activity breaks throughout the day and integrating physical activity into academic lessons are common, student wellness and staff wellness activities are at an all-time high. But we wanted to do more.

One goal was to eliminate unhealthy birthday treats, which we did, but now we’re working to make this a district policy. Educating students and our families was the key to this success. We have had a student wellness council called W.I.N. (Wellness in Numbers) for four years. This year we wanted the eight student leaders to actually take ownership and guide their peers in activities. Many grants have been written to fund some of the programs. Our school was fortunate to receive Fuel Up to Play 60 Funds.

One of the new activities is called the Rosa Parks Rockets’ Recess Walking/Jogging Club. Students have the ability to utilize the 1/10 of a mile track during recess to reach mileage goals. Each goal achieved earns students a toe token to attach to their tennis shoes. Students are pumped! Now if the weather will just cooperate!

One of the many toe tokens students at Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary can earn for miles walked.

We were also able to create a Physical Activity Binder for each teacher filled with many, many activity ideas to get their students out of their seats and moving. Included with the binders are DVDs and other resources. One of the biggest changes with our student wellness group, W.I.N., is giving the group more leadership roles and giving them ownership of the group. The two sponsors are with the students as advisors but allow students to make decisions and “run the show”. They create awesome Power Point presentations that are shown during taste testing events at lunch. They then extend the activity by conducting monthly polls to find out who liked/disliked the item tested.

W.I.N. leadership members are in charge of logging the mileage of students walking/jogging at recess. They are the inspiration for our students! My school has total support from the administrative staff, teachers, parents and students.

Change is hard for anyone. While some changes have been easy, others have been met with some resistance. Education has been the key. Once everyone understands the ultimate goal – having healthier children, staff and families, most jump on board and provide extra support to continue our efforts.

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Fuel Up to Play 60 at Indiana Dietetic Association

May 10th, 2011

On April 13, 2011, over 50 Registered Dietitians attended IDA’s annual Spring Convention’s concurrent session on Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60). A general overview of the program was given by a Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana (DNCI) staff member, encouraging attendees to get involved with FUTP60 by going to the Eat Right Kids website. Indianapolis Colts Youth Football Commissioner and former defensive back for the Colts, Mike Prior, presented how the NFL and DNCI are partners and the importance of nutrition and physical activity for students. He also explained that DNCI has worked through the school nutrition personnel and the school’s milk supplier to provide all the participants with chocolate milk at the end of each camp.

Two other speakers gave presentation on how they are using the FUTP60 program in their schools. As program advisors, one was an assistant principal and one was a P.E. teacher. The assistant principal of an urban school of 850 students told about their pep rally that included fruit and yogurt smoothies for everyone. This was the kickoff not only for FUTP60 but also the state testing week. One exciting result is the forming of a cheerleading squad of 60 girls which is really unheard of in an elementary school. Lots of activity in learning cheers has happened. An admitted “techie”, she also showed a video she had created about her students’ adventures in learning about nutrition. (http://www.schooltube.com/video/67fd7c6943e368df017d/Grizzly-Chefs)

Greenbriar Elementary School students Talhia Cedillos, left, and Allison Roldan, along with their classmates, made milk mustaches with fruit and yogurt smoothies at the school's second annual ISTEP pep rally for the student body on Friday, February 25, 2011. The message for the children at the assembly was to prepare well for ISTEP testing week that begins Monday -- get a good night's sleep, eat a good breakfast, have a positive attitude, focus and double check their test answers. Charlie Nye / The Star.

The P.E. teacher from a small community reported on her program. They have used a team of program advisors, and that kind of set up has worked extremely well for them. The team has used their FUTP60 grant money wisely and has continued from one activity to the next. For example, students are walking across the Mohave Desert now and will be active during May when Indianapolis 500 activities are prevalent. One unexpected benefit of being involved with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program has been an increase in family participation in a student’s life. At their FUTP60 kickoff, the media specialist signed up students on the program’s website. Since that time, one student continually told his teacher that he and his mom, who had not been present at many school functions, spent 10-15 minutes each day together tracking his healthy eating and physical activity. This is a great example of positive unintended consequences. The assistant principal also mentioned she has noticed less bullying on the playground as a result of their FUTP60 activities.

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Ober Elementary Fuels Up to Play 60!

April 5th, 2011

The Dairy & Nutrition Council recently sent a short survey to Fuel Up to Play 60 Grant Winners. Read below to see what neat things are going on at Ober Elementary School in Garrett, IN!

Describe your FUTP60 Kick-off: We collaborated with DeKalb Memorial Hospital for our FUTP60 Kick-off. The students gathered in the gym and spent 30 minutes exercising with the exercise physiologist from the hospital. After exercising, the students spent time fixing “pretend healthy meals” with the nutritionist from the hospital. At the end of the program, all of the students took the FUTP60 Pledge.

What was chosen as your Healthy Eating Play? We choose “Breakfast in the Classroom” as our Healthy Eating play? Breakfast was served in the classroom every morning prior to ISTEP testing. After testing, the classroom teachers discussed healthy eating by using the Food Pyramid and how important eating breakfast is for them to fuel their bodies to learn.

How did you students respond to it? The students had many comments to share about eating breakfast in the classroom. One of the students stated that his stomach didn’t growl during the ISTEP testing because he ate breakfast! Some of the students discussed they liked eating healthy foods instead of junk food for breakfast. They stated they felt like they had more energy.

What was chosen as your Physical Activity play? We choose After School Fun Fitness as our Physical Activity play. We have started a Jump Rope Club with over 100 members meeting weekly after school. In April, we will begin our Running Club and Walk with the Principal Club.

How did your students respond to it? Students were very excited about the afternoon physical fitness clubs. They have improved their jump rope skills dramatically and are enjoying jumping rope at home as well.

How has FUTP60 impacted your students? FUTP60 has had a positive effect on our students. They are more aware of their physical fitness behaviors and of their eating habits. Students have commented about the need to exercise 60 minutes daily and have utilized the Colts Fitness Goal Sheet to set personal goals and track their progress.

How have you used your funds? We have used our funds to buy exercise equipment, healthy snacks for the health fair, craft items, and rewards, etc. We also purchased herb seeds, pots and dirt for them to grow herbs in the classroom to be used at a later date for a healthy pizza day. We also purchased books to be used for educational purposes. Stipends are also being paid to staff members that lead activities after school in our fitness clubs.

Was the amount requested adequate to implement what you wanted? Yes

Diane Ruyack, Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana, presents grant funds to Tonya Weaver, Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor at Ober Elementary School.

Do you make use of the dashboard feature of FuelUptoPlay60.com? Yes

Have you checked off the milestones (on the dashboard) that your school has completed? Yes

Are your students using FuelUptoPlay60.com? Our students are being trained in their technology class on how to use FuelUptoPlay60.com. Our technology specialist is working with our students to fully utilize the FUTP60 site.

Have you tried uploading any videos or pictures to SchoolTube? No, we do not have that capacity to do this at this time. Our plan for the future is to have our high ability technology students document our progress by utilizing our flip cams and moviemaker software. They will then be charged with the task of uploading those to SchoolTube.

What did you or your students think of the Challenges throughout the year? Did you participate? The Challenges were fun and engaged children in a variety of fitness activities. Our school nurse and cafeteria manager participated with our children.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you got involved with the FUTP60 program? No

Do you have plans to continue Fuel Up to Play 60 for the 2011-12 school year? Most definitely. The first year was a learning phase for us, but next year we want to build on what we have started so we can continue to give our students an opportunity to become healthy and active and give them the tools to maintain that lifestyle.

Please add any other comments – good or bad: Mike Pryor visiting our school was fantastic. He really motivated our students to exercise 60 minutes a day.

The website for us was not always user friendly. By not having School Tube, we are not sure how to load pictures to the website.

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Fishers Junior High form Fitness Council

March 18th, 2011

Fishers Junior High recently received $3000 to support its Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative from the Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana. Fishers Junior High School was selected from among hundreds of schools across the country that applied for funding to help them jumpstart and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. This nationwide program offers schools funding to help them increase awareness of and access to nutrient-rich foods and physical activity opportunities for students. Funding for this competitive program is provided by the Dairy & Nutrition Council and Indiana’s dairy farmers.

Simeon Foster, Fisher Junior High Fitness Council Member, Andrea McMurtry, PE teacher, and Isaiah Hartmann, Fitness Council Member

Funds for Fuel Up to Play 60 provides support for a variety of activities and tools, such as foodservice materials and equipment, nutrition and physical education materials, student and staff incentives, staff development and overall Fuel Up to Play 60 implementation.

Andrea McMurtry, Physical Education teacher, is the program advisor at Fishers Junior High, working with the newly formed Fitness Council. They have used their funds in a variety of ways, including purchasing new equipment and prizes for fitness events along with new foods to try during breakfast and lunch. The Fitness Council also bought a Flip Video camera to record weekly fitness commercials and to participate in FUTP60 Challenges.

More than 60,000 schools across the United States are participating in Fuel Up to Play 60. Launched by National Dairy Council, local Dairy Councils and National Football League (NFL), in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the program encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Multiple health organizations and several major corporations are also supporting Fuel Up to Play 60, now in its second year.

“Fuel Up to Play 60 has really taken off in Indiana. Wellness champions and students in more than 1500 schools state wide have embraced the program, and these funds will help many of the participating schools to do even more,” said Mary Nicholson, Dairy & Nutrition Council representative. “The events planned by the Fitness Council here at Fishers Junior High show just how fun it can be to get fit!”

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Klondike Middle School Wins Big!

March 18th, 2011

Klondike Middle School in West Lafayette has won $2300 to support its Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative from the Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana. Klondike Middles School was selected from among hundreds of schools across the country that applied for funding to help them jumpstart and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. This nationwide program offers schools funding to help them increase awareness of and access to nutrient-rich foods and physical activity opportunities for students. Funding for this competitive program is provided by the Dairy & Nutrition Council and Indiana’s dairy farmers.

Caren Walker, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, is coordinating the program at Klondike Middle School. The funds that she won are being used in a variety of ways. Students in Wellness and Family and Consumer Science classes prepared healthy recipes, videotaped the process, and showed the demonstrations to the entire student body over the KMSTV morning announcements. A short news article will also be written by the students for publication in the school newsletter and posted on the school’s website. Other students will plan and record an aerobic routine that will be shown over KMSTV to the student body to get up and get moving in the classroom during the daily lunchtime activity period.

“The kids have been having a blast with their recipes and learning a lot about revising recipes to eat healthier, “ says Mrs. Walker. The school kicked off the physical activity portion of the program with a visit from Colt’s mascot, Blue. Blue and emcee Kat entertained students, while reinforcing the messages of eating healthy and being active.

Schools, parents and students can learn more about Fuel Up to Play 60 at FuelUpToPlay60.com.

Diane Ruyack & Mary Nicholson from the Dairy & Nutrition Council; Colt’s mascot Blue; Caren Walker, FACS teacher, Kim Arrowwod, PE teacher, and Lisa Isom, Wellness teacher.

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Indianapolis Colts launch Middle School Health Program

March 10th, 2011

The Indianapolis Colts are teaming up with Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana to offer a free school program about the importance of healthy eating and daily physical activity to Indiana middle school students in grades four through eight.

The Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana implemented the Fuel Up to Play 60 plan in middle schools in 2010, and 217 Indiana schools registered as FUTP60 schools at www.fueluptoplay60.com. Scheduling preference for 2011 will be given to those schools.

The program, hosted by Blue and emcee Kat, will be joined via satellite calls from Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders, players, and Head Coach Jim Caldwell. Representatives will express the importance of having a healthy diet and being physically active. Games and audience participation will make this program fun and exciting.

To make sure your school has an opportunity to host this awesome program, visit www.colts.com/blue and click on the “Programs” tab. The Colts prefer to schedule several shows, back-to-back in one day at schools.

Source: ISTA

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Collaboration is the Key to Success for Laura Newman and Meredith Nicholson Elementary

March 8th, 2011

Laura Newman uses the power of collaboration to make things happen at Meredith Nicholson Elementary School in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Acknowledging an unsuccessful attempt last year to get Fuel Up to Play 60 started in her school, the P.E. teacher and Program Advisor decided to reach out to her colleagues to make a difference for 2010.

Instrumental to her success this year was the school’s media specialist, Mandy Blanshan, who helped her to get students online and signed up for the program. Citing that many of her students do not have internet access at home, Laura also credited the availability of the Offline Resourceson FuelUpToPlay60.com, which granted students access to the program without using the Internet. Laura also lauded the assistance of the school nurse for helping her complete her Funds for Fuel Up to Play 60 application. Additionally, the school’s nutritionist Angie Frost collaborated with students on making their own healthy snacks, which were integrated with the school’s Kickoffevent. Students brought their families and more than 100 of them signed up for the program. Laura sought out the local media, and a reporter from a local newspaper came to Meredith Nicholson. The story garnered community attentionand support for the program.

Laura also partnered with local Wabash College and high school football players, who came to the school to help with the Kickoff’s physical activity component. She notes they were great role models for the kids and everyone had a lot of fun. The local high school also donated tickets to one of their football games for prizes at the Kickoff, and the Indiana Dairy Councilprovided Colts- and Fuel Up to Play 60-themed prizes. The Indiana Dairy Council also provided rewards for a poster contest; students created posters of their favorite athletes that included speech bubbles with blurbs about healthy eating. This contest proved to be particularly rewarding for Laura, because it provided one of her challenged students to connect with his parents. Previously distanced from them, he now gets online and visits FuelUpToPlay60.com with his mother almost every other night. Laura says she “saw him blossom” from the project.

Laura also arranged for NFL Colts linebacker Pat Angerer to visit Meredith Nicholson Elementary. He went through the school’s lunch line with the students and made nutritious choices from the salad bar. Laura says his visit was motivating and awesome, and the students also threw a football with him. Indianapolis Colts tickets – an award donated by Indiana Dairy Council – also motivated students. Parents were asked to sign off that students had eaten nutritious snacks after school and confirm that their children got their 60 minutes of physical activity each day in order for students to attend the game.

Other local events Laura has used to motivate her students include the Indianapolis 500. For this year’s Indy 500, students are making cars out of fruits and vegetables to Fuel Up with nutritious choices and celebrate the event. Laura also plans to tie in the annual Indianapolis Half Marathon with Fuel Up to Play 60. Students enjoy the hoopla that surrounds local events, and Laura finds them to be a great motivator. Laura further collaborated with the Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbookand repurposed the “Taste Test Days” Play, where students tried out new nutritious foods with a “two-bite try” approach. This Play will continue for once a week for the entire month. Laura says the “kids just loved it,” and repeatedly ask her “Is today the day?” for the two-bite try. For this Play, she collaborated with the school’s cafeteria staff and students welcomed creative and nutritious choices such as apricot-apple sauce and Russian borscht.

Laura is pleased to see her students collaborate outside of school. She notes students created their own healthy snack recipewith the aid of their parents, and brought the snacks in to share. She also was pleased that one of her students who submitted a recipe for the Fuel Up to Play 60 Challengewas chosen to be highlighted in the Fuel Up to Play 60 Cookbook that will be a part of the 2011-12 program.

Another success this year at Meredith Nicholson includes student involvement in the Student Ambassador Program. Laura meets with her Student Ambassadors two or three times a month, and students take the lead creating classroom promotionsand announcements and coming up with ideas for submissions of Challenges.

Laura says the biggest change she has noticed is awareness: students are making more nutritious choices in the cafeteria line, and in P.E. class, they are discussing how they are Fueling Up. The students are excited and highly engaged – and they want to do even more. Laura and her students have clearly made great strides and a big difference in 2010. Look out for more from Meredith Nicholson Elementary students in 2011!

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