Two Schools in Avoyelles Parish School Board District Named to 2019 List of America’s Healthiest Schools
9/26/2019
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation), one of the nation’s preeminent children’s health organizations, has named 355 schools from 23 states as America's Healthiest Schools. Cottonport Elementary School and Louisiana School for the Agricultural Sciences (LaSAS) in Avoyelles Parish are the only two schools in Louisiana to receive this recognition. A total of 355 schools nationwide were selected based on a rigorous set of criteria—from availability of nutritious foods to access to quality physical education opportunities—as part of Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program. All of America’s Healthiest Schools participate in Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program, one of the nation’s largest school-based childhood obesity prevention initiatives that fosters a comprehensive approach to health promotion driven by administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, and the surrounding community.
"Our entire community—parents, teachers, students and staff—has united around the importance of creating a healthy school," said Jenny Welch, MS, LDN, RDN, Child Nutrition Program Supervisor for Avoyelles Parish School System. "We're honored to receive this recognition from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and remain committed to advancing our school health improvement efforts even further over the coming years." The Avoyelles Parish School System operates 10 schools with an enrollment of over 6,000 students. Avoyelles Parish is located in central eastern Louisiana near the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. The parish seat is Marksville.
To see a clip from KALB-TV highlighting Cottonport Elementary School's success story as a newly minted healthy school, view 2 Avoyelles Schools Named to 2019 List of America's Healthiest Schools!
America's Healthiest Schools:
Meet or exceed federal nutrition standards for school meals and snacks
Offer breakfast daily
Incorporate physical activity before, during or after the school day
Implement district wellness policies and update progress annually
Involve parents and community members in decision-making
For more information about the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, visit About Us | Alliance for a Healthier Generation.