Josh Miller (front row, center), along with four other Student Ambassadors from Fuel Up to Play 60, met with Warren Buffett in Omaha, NE on May 3 to discuss their entrepreneurial ideas to lead healthy change in their schools. The five students were awarded GENYOUth Foundation’s AdVenture Capital grants to help give their classmates greater access to healthy food and physical activity in school.

Josh Miller, a student from Basswood Elementary School in Maple Grove, Minn., recently experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet renowned business leader Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha, Neb., as part of GENYOUth Foundation’s AdVenture Capital grant program. Miller was one of five Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassadors from across the country. The students were selected for submitting an entrepreneurial idea to provide his or her classmates greater access to healthier food and physical activity.

Basswood Elementary will receive $4,000 from GENYOUth Foundation to implement Miller’s “Motivational Mondays,” a structured, 30-minute weekly exercise program led by the school’s Fuel Up to Play 60 team and adult leaders.  Exercises may include push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, running races, ball toss, etc., and will incorporate music to add excitement and enthusiasm. Participants in “Motivational Mondays” will all receive stickers and drawings will be held for tee-shirts. The funds will be used for signage and station equipment, printing costs, a portable music station and incentives.

“I’m excited that we’ll be able to get a structured physical activity program going at our school,” Miller says. “We’re trying to solve two problems at recess: kids just standing around and kids being excluded. The benefits we will receive from this program are endless. Getting fresh air and exercise helps you in school, and we can also build a sense of community, because a program like this, with stations, music, and incentives for participating, will include everybody. That is what I love about Fuel up to Play 60: It can help anyone.”

Since this program will be available to all students at Basswood, it will also help students who are most at-risk for poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Ten percent of the students at Basswood are living at or below the poverty level.

During his meeting with Buffett, Miller shared his winning idea to improve school wellness and received feedback and advice from the business magnate. All five winners will go on to lead their programs in school with guidance from an “Inspiration Panel” of young innovators in education, technology, and social media.

“Healthy students are better students, and kids themselves are often the best source of creative ideas to make schools a healthier place,” said Molly Pelzer, RD, LD, senior vice president of Midwest Dairy Council. “Josh is a true leader at a young age, and we look forward to seeing how he will help his peers at Basswood Elementary to make health and wellness a priority.”

From healthy cooking classes to recreational sports leagues, the AdVenture Capital student winners submitted innovative and youth-friendly ideas to create a healthier school environment. Additional national winners include:

• Lily Ayotte—Milford, N.H.—7^th grade: “What’s Cooking in Titan’s Kitchen?,” a series of after-school healthy cooking classes featuring guest chefs
• Lashon Bonaventure—Bronx, N.Y.—4^th grade: “Project Play + Eating Right = A Healthy Me,” a series of workshops for students to learn how to cook and grow organic produce
• Emma Buchanan—Glade Spring, Va.—10^th grade: “Healthy Matters: Teaching Wellness for all Generations,” a monthly class featuring health information, healthy family cooking classes and personal fitness guidance
• Kaylene Khosla—Pueblo, Colo.—9^th grade: “Play Today. Succeed Tomorrow,” a recreational sports league for elementary students to focus on teamwork, healthy diets, exercise and strategy

Even more students will have the opportunity to receive funds from AdVenture Capital for improving the nutrition and physical activity environment in their school when the second round of grants is awarded this fall. The application period will open in mid-August. Visit www.GENYOUthFoundation.org for more information at that time.

Do you know creative students with a lot of energy? Fuel Up to Play 60 would like to see how they get their 60 minutes of daily play in the Activity Scavenger Hunt Challenge, running now until May 3!

Encourage your students to grab some friends, complete five of the ten activities listed in the Challenge guidelines, and capture it all in pictures. Then, submit the photos of each activity using the Challenge template, for a chance to receive a school visit from an NFL player!

The scavenger hunt activities are fun and easy, such as “run a piggyback, wheelbarrow, or three-legged race with your friends,” and “challenge your favorite teacher or school principal to a push-up contest.” Many of the activities are things that students are already doing, like throwing a football around with friends, or going on a walk or bike ride with their family. There is also a chance for students to get creative and submit their own fun activity!

Research has shown that healthy eating and increased physical activity can help students do better in school. Participating in the Activity Scavenger Hunt Challenge is a great way for students to get active so they can be at their best in the classroom, and have fun while they’re at it!

Be creative, keep it clean, be safe and have fun, but hurry – the contest closes May 3!

Students across the Midwest have been eating healthy, staying active and making positive, healthy changes in their schools and communities, with the support from their Fuel Up to Play 60 program advisors. Twelve program advisors from nine Midwest states have gone above and beyond for their students this school year, and have been named Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisors of the Year.

Leaders chosen as Program Advisors of the Year have taken an active role in their respective schools, encouraging and empowering students to get involved in Fuel Up to Play 60. They have also helped their schools and students earn recognition, rewards and funding to support wellness initiatives. This year’s honorees in the Midwest include:

• Michele Brown, Lamar Elementary – Lamar, Ark.
• Penney Arey, Indianola Middle School – Indianola, Iowa
• Wendy Starwalt, Carrie Busey Elementary – Savoy, Ill.
• Jeffery Arellano, Gardiner Elementary – Wichita, Kan. (See Gardiner’s 2012-2013 success story.)
• Greg Ulrich and Matt Moore, Sunnyside Elementary – New Brighton, Minn. (See Sunnyside’s 2012-2013 success story.)
• Julie Dwyer, Pond Elementary – Grover, Mo.
• Leah Swedberg and Chelsea Hendricks, West Fargo High School – West Fargo, N.D. (See West Fargo’s 2012-2013 success story.)
• Alan Sarka, Neihardt Elementary – Millard, Neb.
• Benito Rodriguez and Jason Bruce, Woonsocket School – Woonsocket, S.D.

“These leaders have gone above and beyond to connect with their students and get them excited about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program,” said Molly Pelzer, RD, LD, senior vice president of Midwest Dairy Council. “Across the Midwest, they are creating healthier schools and healthier futures for our youth. They have each set a tremendous example for current and future program advisors to follow.”

To learn more about Fuel Up to Play 60 program advisors, click here.

Recently, we caught up with Minnesota’s Fuel Up to Play 60 State Ambassador Kylie Kasprick, a 6^th grader at Elm Creek Elementary in Maple Grove. She filled us in on what she has been up to these last few months (note: it’s a lot!)

Q:   We understand you just got back from Washington D.C. What was that trip for, what did you do there, and what did you learn?

A:    I had so much fun in D.C.! I was there for a GENYOUth Foundation round table discussion. I met with a few other Fuel Up to Play 60 student ambassadors from across the country, business leaders, and government officials. We talked about how we can spread the word about good nutrition, fighting childhood obesity, and helping kids stay active for 60 minutes a day. I also talked with the other students about what they are doing in their schools for Fuel Up to Play 60. I learned a lot!

Q:   What sort of things have you been doing at your school for Fuel Up to Play 60?

A:    Our wellness team meets once a month. We are split into two groups – the Online Group, and the Recess Group – that’s the one I am in. The Online Group creates nutrition fun facts for the Elm Creek website, and the Recess Group put together a fitness barrel that has jump ropes, balls and other fun stuff. The fitness barrel was our prize for winning the Cooking Challenge last year. We also plan on participating in the Scavenger Hunt Challenge this year.

Q:   What do you think has been the most successful thing you have done this year to get your classmates excited about eating right and getting active?

A:    The smoothie taste tests get the students really pumped up! We got a smoothie machine with grant money, and we’ve used it a couple times this year as a treat. One flavor we voted on to make was blueberry-spinach. The blueberries hide the taste of the spinach, but you are still getting all the nutrients, and it tastes really good! We have also tried peach and a few other flavors.  The students love them!

Q:   What was your favorite thing you have done so far as a student ambassador?

A:    Going to the Minnesota Vikings game with my dad, and being on TV, twice!

Q:   You made some videos this fall with Coach Frazier of the Minnesota Vikings, what was that like?

A:    Coach Frazier is really nice! It was awesome to see Winter Park, and check out where the Vikings practice. Taping the video was fun. It was a little different than live TV – they can reshoot if you make a mistake!  It was really cool to see the final video.

Q:   What advice would you offer to anyone who’s thinking about becoming a local, state or national Fuel Up to Play 60 ambassador?

A:    Do your research before you apply – know what Fuel Up to Play 60 is and what being an ambassador will involve. Also, be prepared to have a lot of fun – because it’s a BLAST!

Now that 2013 is in full swing, there here’s a quick round-up of news about program contests, recognitions, digital resources and more:

Super Bowl Breakfast Challenge Winners
A big congratulations goes out to the Midwest winners of the Super Bowl Breakfast Challenge. These eleven schools were chosen for their creative oatmeal breakfast recipes and were awarded with either a Fuel Up to Play 60 moveable booth or a 32 gallon milk bottle recycling unit.

The winners are:

Lamar Elementary School – Lamar, Ark.
Indianola Middle School – Indianola, Iowa
John J Lukancic Middle School – Romeoville, Ill.
Chase County Elementary – Strong City, Kan. (see local news story here)
Indus School – Birchdale, Minn. (see local news story here)
John T. Hartman Elementary – Kansas City, Mo.
Valley City High School – Valley City, N.D.
Southern Valley Junior/Senior High – Oxford, Neb.
Robert Frost Elementary – Sioux Falls, S.D.

The national winners are Harnett Middle School of Blackstone, Mass. and Whitehall Ealy Elementary School of Whitehall, Mich., who each received a VIP trip to Super Bowl XLVII and a $1000 grant to turn their awesome oatmeal ideas into reality!

Be sure to participate in the upcoming Activity Scavenger Hunt Challenge for the chance to win great prizes for your school!

Student Ambassador Applications
Students from around the country are doing really amazing things to help spread the word about Fuel Up to Play 60 and get their peers to register. Student ambassadors help teach others what it means to eat healthy and move daily. If you’re excited about the work you’ve done so far this school year, apply to be your state’s student ambassador for next school year! Deadline to apply for the state and national ambassador positions is Feb. 8, 2013, and the deadline for the local ambassador application is May 31, 2013.

Program Advisor of the Year Awards
Do you know a program advisor who’s doing amazing things? Or are you a program advisor who has found success in implementing Fuel Up to Play 60 during the 2012-2013 school year? We invite you to share those stories those stories and be considered for Program Advisor of the Year in your state. Applications are due March 1, 2013. Here’s a list of last year’s honorees and more information about their efforts.

Touchdown Schools
Have you achieved touchdown school status yet? There’s still time to finish completing the six steps. Here’s a list of schools around the Midwest who’ve already made the grade. Deadline is April 1, 2013.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is now on Twitter
Have you joined the Fuel Up to Play 60 conversation online? You can now follow @FUTP60 on Twitter for all the latest news and updates. And if you’re not already, you can follow the program on Facebook as well.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon knows the importance of getting the state’s youth to eat right and engage in physical activity.  On January 23, he signed a proclamation at the Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City recognizing Fuel Up to Play 60 for its efforts in promoting these healthy habits in Missouri schools.

Governor Nixon was joined by Missouri dairy farmers Bill Siebenborn from Trenton, Tom Oelrichs from Mora and Donna Telle from Uniontown; Fuel Up to Play 60 students Cassidy Ley, a sixth grader from Madison and a Fuel Up to Play 60 student ambassador, Dillon Mobley, a fifth grader from Moscow Mills, and Fuel Up to Play 60 Missouri Program Advisor of the Year Kathy Beezley from Rogers Middle School in Afton. Also present were representatives from program partners Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the St. Louis Rams.

The proclamation states, “Whereas, a lifestyle that involves adequate nutrition and physical fitness is a pathway to a healthy life and can play a critical role in promoting effective learning in school for young people, now therefore, I, Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon, Governor of the State of Missouri, do hereby recognize Fuel Up to Play 60 for its efforts to encourage students to eat healthy and be active.”

Midwest Dairy Council has awarded more than $1.5 million in funds and rewards to schools in 10 states for Fuel Up to Play 60, including more than $96,800 to Missouri schools. To learn more about earning funding for your school, click here.

Do you want to help your school win funding to improve its breakfast program, giving students the fuel needed for a successful day? All you have to do is something you are probably already doing: drink milk, and encourage others to do the same.

Fuel Up to Play 60 has teamed up with the national Milk Mustache “got milk?®” Campaign and America’s Milk Processors to award $250,000 in grants for Fuel Up to Play 60 breakfast programs in schools across the country, though the Breakfast Blitz contest.

Now through Feb. 17, 2013, when adults 18 years or older buy milk, they can enter for the chance to help support schools’ Fuel Up to Play 60 efforts, as well as win great prizes, including a trip to the 2014 Super Bowl!  They can register on www.bbmilkmustache.com, enter the milk’s UPC code, and vote for a school they wish to receive a $1,000 grant. Make sure to encourage everybody you know to vote for your school!

Other prizes include free milk for a year, tickets to a local NFL game, and Fuel Up to Play 60 and NFL swag. Multiple entries are accepted, so be sure to check out the official rules and tips to incorporate more milk into your day.

New York Giants wide receiver – and Super Bowl XLVI champion – Victor Cruz has also joined in to help raise awareness for the Breakfast Blitz. Check out his first milk mustache ad on the “got milk?®” campaign’s website.

Rally your school’s community members to enter today! It’s a great chance for them to help the school, as well as possibly win a trip to America’s biggest sporting event or other cool prizes.

The Ballard Community School District in Iowa now has the resources to implement Fuel Up to Play 60 initiatives, thanks to three grants totaling $9,750.

The Midwest Dairy Council applied for a grant from the Monsanto Fund on behalf of Ballard Community Schools to help fund Fuel Up to Play 60 initiatives in the district. Monsanto Fund approved a $5,000 grant to Fuel Up to Play 60’s non-profit GenYOUth Foundation to support Ballard School’s efforts to jumpstart and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. As part of that fund agreement, $1,000 of that grant paid for a trained consultant to assist the district in implementing the plans. In addition to the funds from Monsanto, Ballard was also awarded additional grant monies totaling $5,750 by Fuel Up to Play 60 to help fund the initiative.

The district received the funds in a brief ceremony on Tuesday, December 18 at Ballard Middle School in Huxley, Iowa. Kim Schaaf from Monsanto and Chris Freland and Kevin Stiles from Midwest Dairy Council were on hand to present the funding to the school’s Fuel Up to Play 60 student team, physical education teacher Kelly Anderson (Ballard Middle), program advisors Diane Modlin (Ballard East Elementary) and Tami Staples (Ballard Middle), school board member Jean Saveraid and board president David Jackson, the district’s principals Marty Jimmerson (Ballard West Elementary), Tom Maher (Ballard Middle) and Jamie Coquyt (Ballard East Elementary), as well as the district’s Fuel Up to Play 60 coach Kelley Haaland. Both the children and the adults signed the Fuel Up to Play  60 pledge to eat healthy and stay active.

The Ballard Community School District already has plans for the funding. Ballard Middle School and Ballard East Elementary will introduce smoothie bars that will use low-fat milk and yogurt, giving their students more nutritional in-school breakfast and snack options. Ballard West Elementary is planning to implement Fuel Up to Play 60 program initatitives that introduce students to farmers and the foods they grow. They also have plans to start a walking club.

Funds for Fuel Up to Play 60 provide 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.

To learn more about applying for Fuel Up to Play 60 funding for your school, click here.

Skol Vikings! The December 9^th game against the Chicago Bears was a win for the Vikings and Fuel Up to Play 60 students! Champions of the program from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota attended the game and got to run through the players’ tunnel in front of thousands of cheering fans prior to the game on Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Students were selected because they have been instrumental in implementing and promoting the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

Because of their successful efforts to boost program participation at their schools, 17 students – including three state program ambassadors from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota – and 16 program advisors were rewarded with tickets to the game. The students appeared on the field before the game, and ran out of the tunnel and through the Vikings ship just before kickoff. During the game, there was a special announcement recognizing the students and program advisors from Fuel Up to Play 60 and their enthusiasm for encouraging peers to make healthy, active decisions.

During the pre-game activities, the group also met Viktor, the Vikings mascot; Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Christine Reitsma; Ken Herbranson, a Minnesota dairy farmer, and Midwest Dairy Association’s Minnesota Division Board Chair; and Jerry Messer, a North Dakota dairy farmer and chair of Midwest Dairy Association’s Board.

Congratulations to all of the students who attended! To see photos from the day’s events, visit the gallery here.

After winning the 2012 Fuel Up to Play 60 National Touchdown Dance Challenge, Rogers Middle School in Saint Louis was recently rewarded with a visit from two St. Louis Rams players: running back Steven Jackson and kicker Greg Zuerlein. Rogers’ students Reja Franklin and Maria Stoencheva helped their school earn national recognition by submitting a video of their signature touchdown dance to FuelUpToPlay60.com. Their dance received the most online votes among five finalists from across the country.

During the players’ visit, Reja, Maria and a team of Rogers students had the opportunity to teach Steven and Greg their winning dance at an all-school assembly, followed by a question-and-answer session with the school’s Fuel Up to Play 60 student team.  Check out footage from their visit here.

“We had a blast hosting Steven Jackson and Greg Zuerlein here at Rogers-they both were such great sports,” said Kathy Beezley, Fuel Up to Play 60 program advisor for Rogers Middle School. “The students had fun teaching them the dance and visiting with them, it was an experience they won’t soon forget.”

“We were happy to reward Rogers Middle School for their efforts – to Reja and Maria for entering the Touchdown Dance Challenge and the rest of the students, staff and community for showing their support by voting,” said Courtney Corbett, Midwest Dairy Council program manager. “Rogers Middle School is a perfect example of how Fuel Up to Play 60 can really have an impact. It’s inspiring to see their passion for the program.”

Click here to learn more about other upcoming Fuel Up to Play 60 challenges.