USDA HONORS MIDDLETON SCHOOLS WITH NATIONAL SCHOOL HEALTH AWARD

Officials from the U.S. Department ofAgriculture spent the day in Middleton Tuesday to recognize the district with aprestigious national award for school health and nutrition.
Middleton Middle School is the first middleschool in Idaho to earn the Gold Award of Distinction, the highest achievementin the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge program. It is only the secondschool in the state to win this award.
“Congratulations tothe staff and students in Middleton for all their hard work in achieving theprestigious Gold of Distinction Award,” Superintendent of Public InstructionTom Luna said. “This recognition is not easy to achieve. The schools inMiddleton now serve as a great example to other schools in Idaho and across thenation for how we can all work together to improve the health, nutrition,physical fitness, and ultimately the academic achievement of all Idahostudents.”
The HealthierUS School Challenge recognizesschools that improve the quality of food served, provide students withnutrition education, and provide students with physical education andopportunities for physical activity. The Challenge has four levels of awards:Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Gold of Distinction. In 2009, Gooding Elementarybecame the first school in the nation to receive the Gold Award of Distinction.
In addition, the Middleton district is the first district inthe state to receive HealthierUS School Challenge awards for every school inits district. While its middle school received the Gold award, its otherschools received Silver.
“Here at Middleton, I can tell from what I have seen today –and from what I have eaten today at the high school – that you are ahead of thecurve,” said Allen Ng, Regional Administrator for the USDA. During a schoolwideassembly, he commended students on making nutritious choices while in school.“You helped achieve this award by choosing to try these healthy foods,” Ngsaid.
Dr. Richard Bauscher, Superintendent of theMiddleton School District, said: “The Middleton School District is known forgraduating well-rounded students, and these awards just confirm that along withmeeting our students’ academic needs, we are also striving to meet ourstudents’ nutritional and physical activity needs.”
Bauscher recognized that these great accomplishments weremade possible through the collaborative efforts of the district’s foodservicestaff, principals, physical education teachers, and other staff within each school.The district has worked hard to meet new nutrition guidelines for school meals.
In addition, each school in the district has focused onphysical fitness for students and staff. At the elementary school, for example,each school offers physical activities for students either in the mornings orafternoons above and beyond the normal P.E. classes. Staff members in everybuilding and at the district level also hold after-hours workout classes.
Payette High School in the Payette SchoolDistrict also was awarded with a Silver US Challenge Award this year for itswork to create a healthier school environment for students.
Here is a complete list of HealthierUS School ChallengeAward Winners this year:
Middleton School District: ·        MiddletonMiddle School (Gold Award of Distinction) ·        MiddletonHigh School (Silver Award)·        PurpleSage Elementary School (Silver Award)·        HeightsElementary School (Silver Award)·        MillCreek Elementary School (Silver Award)
Payette School District: ·        PayetteHigh School (Silver Award)
For a complete list of present and past winners in Idaho,visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/Idaho.html.