53 district schools named America’s Healthiest
Fifty-three district schools have earned a spot on the list of 2019 America’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, receiving national recognition for a commitment to student and staff health and well-being.
Mesa Public Schools received the most awards in the nation for a single school district. For the third year in a row, it is the only Arizona district to be recognized.
Nationwide, 355 schools were selected based on a rigorous set of criteria, which includes availability of nutritious foods and access to quality physical education.
The district’s 2019 awardees are: Adams, Brinton, Bush, Crismon, Edison, Eisenhower Center for Innovation, Emerson, Entz, Falcon Hill, Field, Franklin at Brimhall, Franklin West, Guerrero, Hale, Hermosa Vista, Highland Arts, Holmes, Hughes, Irving, Ishikawa, Jefferson, Johnson, Keller, Kerr, Las Sendas, Lehi, Lincoln, Lindbergh, Longfellow, Lowell, MacArthur, Madison, Mendoza, O’Connor, Patterson, Pomeroy, Porter, Red Mountain Ranch, Redbird, Robson, Roosevelt, Salk, Sirrine, Sousa, Stevenson, Taft, Washington, Webster, Whitman, Whittier, Wilson and Zaharis elementary schools, and Summit Academy.
“Our entire community – parents, teachers, students and staff – has united around the importance of creating a comprehensive healthy school environment,” says Dr. Andi Fourlis, deputy superintendent. “We are honored to receive this recognition from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, and we remain committed to advancing our school health improvement efforts.”
All of America’s Healthiest Schools have earned the National Healthy Schools Award, a prestigious achievement celebrating schools that meet or exceed expert-recommended standards set by the Healthy Schools Program for serving nutritious meals and snacks, encouraging students to move more throughout the day, offering high-quality health and physical education, and empowering school leaders to be healthy role models.
“We are thrilled to see another strong showing of dedicated schools that are taking steps to create healthier school environments that support children’s physical, social and emotional health,” says Kathy Higgins, chief executive officer at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “This year’s list is a continued testament to the nationwide movement for improving the social, emotional and physical health of current and future generations.”
