Visiting One of America’s Healthiest Schools

Brigadier General Guido Portante, U.S. Army, Ret., visited one of America’s Healthiest Schools, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Indio, CA. While there, he saw firsthand how nutritious meals and increased physical activity during the school day helps prepare students for success in the classroom.

Roosevelt Elementary was one of 328 schools nationwide that met stringent standards set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The best practices include: serving healthier meals and snacks, getting students moving more during the day, offering high-quality physical and health education, and empowering school leaders to become healthy role models.

“Providing healthy food and increasing opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day has been shown to positively impact student behavior and performance in school. That is certainly the case at Roosevelt Elementary,” Portante commented. “The students I met with today were respectful, engaged and eager to learn, and really enjoyed eating their healthy lunches.”

P.E. teacher Paula Reynolds said, “We’ve made tremendous strides in creating a healthier school climate at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School over the last three years. Our entire school community has really embraced the movement, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”