Fort Bend ISD creates Healthy Campus Award

Fort Bend Independent School District's WATCH Your Wellness Committee has created the WATCH Healthy Campus Award to recognize school staff for their efforts in creating a school environment that promotes wellness, according to a press release.

The award is a collaboration between Fort Bend ISD's School Health Advisory Council, UnitedHealthcare and the Fort Bend Medical Society Alliance. Fort Bend ISD will pilot the award this year and continue to recognize schools if it is successful.

"Our goal is to show that a healthy and playful campus is a smart campus," Mary Kiernan, FBISD safe and drug-free schools specialist, said in a press release. "It's a known fact that children who eat healthy meals and engage in regular physical activity perform better in school. By educating children and their families now, we are helping them develop smart habits that will lead to healthy lives."

To be eligible for the the award, schools must meet six criteria: promote tobacco prevention; offer non-food-based student rewards; provide nutrition and physical activity in core classes; participate in the WATCH Health Fair; develop a measurement or key indicators of health change; and provide a staff wellness program. In addition, schools must create a Wellness Committee comprised of school staff, students and parents; develop a personalized Campus Wellness Plan; host a Health/Wellness Night; and sponsor a campus-wide physical activity, according to the release.

Schools that reach the criteria will receive a banner in fall 2013 and a cash prize to support future wellness activities. Schools interested in participating must submit the program registration form before Saturday, Dec. 15.

For more information, contact Stephanie Kellam, school district wellness coordinator, at stephanie.kellam@fortbendisd.com; Mary Kiernan, safe and drug-free schools specialist, at mary.kiernan@fortbendisd.com; or Nomita Bajwa, president of Fort Bend Medical Alliance, at bajwa3@aol.com.