Aroma Park Primary School in Kankakee was the winner of the spring Fuel Up to Play 60 Physical Activity Challenge for Illinois, and as a result, they were rewarded with a visit by Chicago Bears alumni player James “Big Cat” Williams to their school. Big Cat congratulated the students on their progress, reminded them to stay active and eat healthy over the summer, and then joined them on a wellness walk. Students enjoyed ice-cold white or chocolate milk following their walk.
The school’s Challenge video illustrated how students can stay active indoors even in inclement weather through their participation in indoor recess or classroom yoga. Fuel Up to Play 60 program advisor Scott Diesing commented, “We see our students asking even on sunny and warm days to go to the fitness center for their exercise break.”
The school also has implemented Healthy Eating Plays, including milk mustache days, taste tests and In the Hot Seat – a specially designated ‘bistro’ seating area for students that is earned by trying new healthy food choices such as spinach, yogurt-based dips for veggies and drinking all their milk at lunch and breakfast. The school nutrition department has been instrumental in working with the Fuel Up to Play 60 team on new healthy menu items. ”At this young age, we are making a positive impact on their habits that will help for the rest of their lives,” said Diesing.
Additionally, Big Cat met with the Fuel Up to Play 60 student team and gave each student an autographed certificate of their participation in serving as role models to their peers when it comes to modeling good behavior and making healthy choices. Many of these team members plan to start Fuel Up to Play 60 when moving on to a new school next year. Learn more here.

Kathy Beezley, RN, the school nurse at Rogers Middle School in Affton, Mo., received an autographed football from St. Louis Rams alum La’Roi Glover, during an all-school assembly on May 7.  Beezley won the special appearance by Glover, the former defensive tackle and currently the Ram’s Director of Player Programs, as a reward for being named Missouri’s Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor of the Year! She has taken an active role in encouraging students to eat healthy, get active and make a difference. Among the innovative activities that Kathy and her Fuel Up to Play 60 student team have introduced are a Wii After-School Program, ‘Fitness Fridays,’ yoga classes, taste-tests of smoothies and a variety of cheeses, and ‘Trivia Tuesdays,’ which tests student’s nutrition knowledge during lunch periods. More than 70,000 schools are involved in Fuel Up to Play 60 nationwide, including 1,847 schools in Missouri.
“I’m honored and thrilled for the recognition and appreciate the opportunity to work with Midwest Dairy Council,” said Beezley. “With the funds that have been provided through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, Rogers Middle School students have benefited beyond my expectations, making this academic year truly unforgettable and motivating us all to get even more involved!” Learn more here.

Fuel Up to Play 60 Co-Program Advisors of the Year for Minnesota, Annalisa Hultberg and Jenny Hinman, were recognized for their successes at Harriet Bishop Elementary in Savage. They were among several winning Program Advisor “teams,” proving that collaboration can be a successful strategy when implementing Fuel Up to Play 60. Students at Harriet Bishop started an after-school dance troupe, which attracts about 60 participants in grades 2-6. The school also hosts a healthy cooking show during morning announcements. They even coordinate grade-level challenges for students to record their daily physical activity and healthy eating. Congrats to this winning program advisor team!

North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple recently pledged his support to child health and wellness and signed a certficate of support for Fuel Up to Play 60 at a special celebration event at the State Capitol in Bismarck. He joins the ranks of five other Midwest state Governors in pledging their support of the premier in-school health and wellness program that encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The Governor was joined by North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring; Superintendent Dr. Wayne Sanstead from the Department of Public Instruction; Director of Coordinated School Health, Joyal Meyer in that support. Fuel Up to Play 60 program advisors from Valley City Junior/Senior High School in Valley City and state student ambassadors Bailey Joy Aaneson and Logan Ahern from Sheyenne Ninth Grade Center in West Fargo talked about the impact of the program in their schools. Dairy farmer and Midwest Dairy Chairman of the Board, Jerry Messer, led a milk toast with the help of North Dakota Dairy Princess Rachael Rott celebrating dairy farmers’ more than 95-year commitment to child health and wellness through Midwest Dairy Council and Fuel Up to Play 60.
At the pledge signing, the Governor praised the progress achieved to date by North Dakota students and indicated the program is a positive step toward helping North Dakota students achieve better nutrition and fitness for life. “Fuel Up to Play 60 is a valuable in-school program that makes kids’ health and wellness as important as the ABC’s,” said Governor Dalrymple. “The program is designed to instill in our young people the benefits of leading healthy lives and to empower them to make good lifestyle decisions.” Learn more here.

Queen of the Holy Rosary in Bucyrus, Kansas was the recent winner of this fall’s Fuel Up to Play 60 Cooking Show Challenge for Kansas! Students had to channel their inner-chef and work in teams to film a nutrient-rich recipe demonstration. As a winning Challenge school, Queen of the Holy Rosary recently was rewarded with a visit from Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki and Chiefs mascot KC Wolf. See their winnning video here.
There are a series of four Fuel Up to Play 60 Challenges that youth can get involved in throughout the school year. Each Challenge focuses on a different aspect of the program and provides the opportunity for students to collaborate with their peers to showcase what they have learned about “fueling up” with nutrient-rich foods and getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. By completing Challenges, students get the chance to have their submission featured in the Challenge Showcase on the national Fuel Up to Play 60 website and earn exclusive online badges and rewards for the participation on FuelUpToPlay60.com. Learn more about Joining the Fuel Up to Play 60 League here.

National Football League linebacker and free agent Ben Leber recently visited Robert Frost Elementary School in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was there to reward students for winning first place in the Fuel Up to Play 60 fall Cooking Challenge in South Dakota! The students at Robert Frost Elementary School, with the guidance of Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisors, Nicole Osmundson and Cynthia Mickelson, have been busy implementing Fuel Up to Play 60 healthy eating and physical activity “plays” throughout the school year.
To win the fall Cooking Challenge, students submitted a video featuring a healthy recipe that included dairy. The video featured clips from one of three “Wake Up to Wellness” breakfast events hosted by the school’s Fuel Up to Play 60 student team. The team is leading the way for their school by tracking their healthy food choices and physical activity on the Fuel Up to Play 60 website. Other recent activities include a Walk-a-Marathon Challenge and a Milk Mustache Contest.
During the assembly, Leber helped to motivate the students to continue to make healthy lifestyle choices for themselves while working to make their school a healthier place. He also led the students in some physical activity stretches and inspired them to continue to make healthy food choices. Leber was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the 2011 NFL Draft and currently is a free agent. He originally played for the San Diego Chargers, and then spent four years with the Minnesota Vikings. In high school, Leber was primarily a running back and was named to several All-America teams while a student at Vermillion High School in South Dakota. He went on to play college football at Kansas State, where he majored in business and general management.
Fuel Up to Play 60 makes adopting healthy habits fun and exciting while helping youth make a difference in their schools. Plus, there are exciting rewards, like NFL player visits. Learn more about Challenges here.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Asher Allen #21 recently made an appearance at Cedar Park Elementary School in Apple Valley, Minn. to congratulate the student body at an all-school rewards assembly for their activation in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. Students and staff wore their Vikings purple to show off their Vikings pride. The school assembly was kicked off by Minnesota dairy farmer Barb Liebenstein of Wolf Creek Dairy who explained to the kids what happens on the farm and how dairy farmers work hard everyday to produce wholesome, nutritious dairy foods. Asher then spoke to the students about how important it is to eat healthy and get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. He honored the student winners of a school-wide poster and cooking contest, participated in a milk mustache photo booth and joined in on a student-led cheer, warm-up activities as well as answered questions. Kids wanted to know his favorite sports (football and golf), foods (grapes and milk), color (purple), and even his favorite number (#10)!
The students at Cedar Park Elementary School, with the guidance of Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor and Physical Education teacher Patty Banwart, have been busy implementing Fuel Up to Play 60 healthy eating and physical activity “plays” since fall 2010. “We’re excited that Fuel Up to Play 60 has given kids an opportunity to take control of their own health and make their school environments healthier by eating right, getting daily physical activity and encouraging their friends to do the same,” says Lisa  McCann RD, health and wellness program manager with Midwest Dairy Council. “Fuel Up to Play 60 makes adopting healthy habits fun and exciting while helping youth make a difference in their schools.”
To get in on the Fuel Up to Play 60 game plan, be sure your school is implementing the Six Steps to Light Up the Scoreboard. Learn more here.

Don’t delay! The Physical Activity Skit Challenge is live through Monday, March 26 and encourages students to create a skit to demonstrate how their school is completing a Physical Activity Play from the Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbook. The Physical Activity Skit Challenge Guidelines is a great resource for quick tips on submitting entries. Hint: be sure to include a message about playing for 60 minutes each day. The winning submission will receive a Xbox Kinect console and a school visit from a NFL player. So get started in creating your skit, videotaping it and then uploading it to SchoolTube for your school’s chance to win!

Fuel Up to Play 60 is partnering with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) on initiatives for 2012, including a free webinar on Wednesday, March 7 from noon to 12:45 p.m. Central Standard Time. Nutrition is an important part of students’ overall fitness and health. Learn simple ways to effectively integrate nutrition education into an existing physical education curriculum.  Hear from physical educators who are successfully implementing nutrition into their P.E. programs. Register Now.

The Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP) Innovation Competition is looking to uncover innovative physical activity programs in elementary schools across the country. If your school is doing amazing things, you should apply! Be sure to highlight your Fuel Up to Play involvement in the application. The top prize is $100,000, plus the opportunity to develop and expand the initiative to other schools. The deadline for entries is April 2. Learn more here.