LISD Takes on the 21-Day Challenge
Feb. 9, 2016
“Snacks typically account for 20-25 percent of a child’s diet,” LISD Coordinator of Health and P.E. Robin Fry said. “By promoting healthy choices now, we are hopefully providing for healthy lifestyles later.”
LISD students are playing a vital role in ensuring this initiative becomes a habit.
To help kickoff the 21-Day Challenge, LISD Superintendent Dr. Kevin Rogers teamed up with The Colony High School’s Culinary Arts students to share some easy and healthy snacks anyone can make. See what they whipped up here.
As part of the initiative,
TCHS’ Culinary Art students created three recipes, which were published in the
North Texas Cookbook – a recipe book distributed to 21-Day Challenge students,
which was created from recipes submitted by the eight participating school
districts’ culinary programs.
To share their published creations, TCHS invited students from Camey Elementary
to taste test the three winning recipes for this year’s recipe book.
“The fun of cooking healthy food was
only trumped by how good it felt knowing a dish I helped make, will help
others,” TCHS Culinary student Walter Wilkinson said.
TCHS Culinary student Hayden Hagmann added: “Being able to research
nutrition and having the opportunity to impact children’s lives for the better,
was an amazing experience. Hopefully, I can have a lifelong impact on the diets
of these children.”
During the challenge,
LISD’s Camey, Central, Ethridge and Heritage Elementary schools participated in
assemblies with MCCH’s mascot Leo the Lion.
Students have embraced the challenge and are creating new lifetime habits.
“It’s been cool trying to figure out what I want to make and going to the store to pick out the ingredients I need,” Heritage Elementary 5th-grader Makayla Dudley said. “My favorite recipe from the book was the berry cone.”
Classmate Ragan Sucher added: “I definitely think this is something that is going to last all my life. I am going to be healthier and stronger.”
In addition to the assemblies,
many LISD families took to social media to share their healthy snacks and
appreciation for the program.
“Today we will have frozen yogurt covered blueberries and raspberry with a
chocolate chip stuffed inside,” Timber Creek Elementary parent Jennifer Noe
commented on Timber Creek’s Facebook page. “Loving
this challenge, as well as the January exercise homework. Thank you, TCE!”
One parent shared their surprise and thankfulness for the challenge.
“The program is teaching my kids the difference between a healthy snack and not healthy snack,” Camey Elementary parent Gina Gore said. “Because when they come home from school they raid the cabinets and a lot of times they aren’t choosing the best snacks. What’s really come in handy is the recipe book they received. They’ve been making the different recipes. We go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients, which is also is teaching them to read the labels and understand nutritional value.”
This is the fifth year LISD has worked with Medical City Children’s Hospital, the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association and The Colony High School Culinary program to publish recipe books, as part of the Kids Teaching Kids program. This will be the second year LISD elementary students take the challenge and the first time to participate in a friendly competition against Frisco ISD.
“Research says it takes 21 days to create a habit,” Fry said. “Together, we can help our students make healthy habits.”
See pictures of our students participating in the 21-day challenge here.
To learn more about the Kids Teaching Kids program, visit: http://www.kids-teaching-kids.com.