Middle School Hosts Health Expo
On Friday, October 25th, the cafeteria of the Manchester Middle School was loud and full of movement as students interacted with photo props near the Lifetouch photo booth or sported milk mustaches from the Horning Farms table vendor exhibit. An occasional soccer ball streaked into the goal set up in the corner and students chatted while they ate a healthy snack. For the fourth consecutive year, the Middle School was hosting the Fuel Up to Play 60 Health Expo designed to help students commit to healthier food choices and engage in 60 minutes of physical activity everyday.
The middle school’s health expo included four segments to encourage healthy choices and physical activity: 1) vendor exhibits 2) a food contest, 3) dodge ball, and 4) individual iPad activities. Each grade rotated together from one segment to the next and classes often competed against one another during each segment. Exhibitors distributed information and promotional items in the cafeteria. Some of the exhibitors presenting were the Manchester Pharmacy, Chelsea Hospital, Horning Farms, The Manchester District Library, The Wellness Coalition, Manchester Voices, Lifetouch Photography, Manchester Soccer Association, and the Manchester Eye Care Center.
The Chelsea Hospital conducted a germ simulation using Glitterbug Lotion and a black light. At the beginning of the simulation, volunteer Autumn Orta gave students Glitterbug lotion to put on their hands. She then sent them to wash their hands. If the student washed their hands well, the lotion would be washed off, and no glow would be seen under the black light. If their hands were not washed effectively, the lotion would glow blue under the black light. For those students whose hands glowed after washing, Mrs. Orta instructed the student on proper hand washing technique. Mrs. Orta was surprised that the cleanest students were the eighth grade boys. The boys were not surprised, however. They told her, “We need to be healthy for football season!”
In the gym, Mr. Barnard organized a mini-tournament of dodge ball for each grade. Two classes would begin competing against each other. The class with the most students still left within the allotted time won. The winner of that game competed in the next game until an ultimate winner was found for each grade.
The final group activity was a food contest based on the television show, “Chopped”. Within each grade, the classrooms were pitted against each other in a contest to see who could prepare the best dish in fifteen minutes. Each class had three students representing them during the contest while volunteer emcee, Roger Chandler, chatted with the audience and kept them entertained. Each team was judged on creativity, presentation, and taste. The ingredients the students had to work with were graham crackers, vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit, whipped cream, granola, and marshmallows, a list keep secret from the students until the competition began.
After all the students had rotated through each segment, the entire school participated in a 60 minute recess, demonstrating the schools commitment to the concept of healthy choices AND sixty minutes of physical activity every day. The Fuel Up and Play 60 program launched in 2009 offering funding to schools to assist with inspiring youth to improve nutrition and be physically active. The program offers strategies for the students, incentives to make good choices, and rewards for those who take action.
The expo was started four years ago as the kickoff event when the Manchester Middle School received the Fuel Up to Play 60 grant, sponsored by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League in collaboration with the USDA. However, although the middle school received the funding the past 3 years, it was not awarded the grant this year. Because the expo had been such an energizing and popular event in the past and because it promoted healthy choices for the students, Principal Spickard decided to hold the event again this year anyway.
It was the right decision. The health expo was a huge success again. The students were engaged, excited, and are now well informed about healthy choices and physical activity. Parents and supporters are encouraged to learn more about the Fuel up to Play 60 program and to help motivate students to have a healthier future. More information on this program can be found online at http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/.
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