Eating healthier and exercising more paid off for some school students and their teachers in New Jersey.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture and New York Jets honored Stillwater Township Elementary School from Sussex County at the Nov. 21 New York Jets Miami Dolphins football game at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J., for its nutrition and wellness achievements, according to a news release.
Stillwater School was the 2020-21 grand champion in the Department of Agriculture’s Jets Play 60 Eat Right, Move More program, a collaboration among the Jets, the state agriculture department and the American Dairy Association Northeast. The program encourages New Jersey school children to take advantage of healthy foods in their school cafeterias and become more active. Also, as part of its award, the school received a $20,000 grant.
“The value of learning the importance of good nutrition and exercise at a young age is something that will have benefits for a lifetime,” state agriculture secretary Douglas Fisher said in the release. “Congratulations to the students and staff at the Stillwater School for their participation in the program.”
Five Stillwater School students attended the game with three Stillwater School teachers and staff. They recorded a short video that was played on the stadium’s large video board during a break in the game as the school’s achievement was announced.
The students who attended the game were Joseph Berrocal, Lincoln Hennet, Mia Keiling, Gianna DeStefano and Julia Bunnell.
Schools were judged on their efforts to provide children with fresh produce, healthy foods, nutrition education and opportunities to increase physical activity. They also were required to have at least 100 students participate in the Jets Play 60 Program, during which students must log one hour a day of activity for a week.
Stillwater School is using the award money for a new commercial dishwasher for its foodservice to reduce the amount of water and energy needed for the dish-cleaning program and modernize the kitchen and cafeteria to make it more attractive and welcoming to students. The physical education department is buying a mobile interactive play system with a score panel and 10 touch-sensitive spots, equipped with both light and sound. The spots are wirelessly connected to the scoreboard and a variety of games and themes can be played by students in all grade levels. The systems could be used in physical education classes as well as for inside recess.
Two other division champion schools were awarded $5,000 grants: Franklin Township Middle School in Somerset County and Dover High School in Morris County.
The state agriculture department administers the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, special milk and after-school snacks, Seamless Summer Option, Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program to provide meals to children in the Garden State.
As a professional football team that plays in New Jersey, the Jets have a charitable foundation to positively influence the lives of young people in the tri-state area by supporting youth football, preventing bullying and promoting social justice — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, visit www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA.
