COURTESY
CLAREMONT — The doors of the Putman Club opened at 9:45 a.m. sharp this morning to welcome more than 90 students from 29 schools in New England — including from Stevens High School in Claremont — plus school staff and other guests at the annual Fuel Up to Play 60 Celebration at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
This year’s culminating event was a “VIP Reward Day” for schools throughout New England that actively participated in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program throughout the year, demonstrating their commitment to student health and wellness through nutrition and physical activity-focused initiatives.
Prescott Herzog, a ninth-grader from SHS and the 2017-2018 Fuel Up to Play 60 New Hampshire State Ambassador, described his experiences this past year with the program.
“Being the New Hampshire State Ambassador this year has been an amazing experience,” he said. “A major project I’ve been involved in the past few months was launching a Grab n’ Go breakfast program in my high school by helping to get a new breakfast cart, which involved raising $7,000 in funds with grants from AdCap, New England Dairy & Food Council, and from the community. I’ve also traveled to Minnesota for the Fuel Up to Play 60 Summit, and to Domino’s headquarters to meet with their executive team and learn about project development. It’s been an exciting year!”
During the lunch a few of the special guests spoke, including Nate Ebner, safety and special teams leaders for the New England Patriots, and who is also a dairy farmer. The day wrapped up with a tour of Gillette Stadium.
The program encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or fat-free dairy, and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Funding for Fuel Up to Play 60 and today’s event was provided by New England Dairy & Food Council and the dairy farm families of New England.
Over the course of the day, students in grades 4-12 participated in interactive breakout sessions focused on team building, physical activity, and healthy eating. During the “Speak Up” session, students focused on creative problem solving by addressing barriers to school breakfast awareness. The “Step Up” session focused on the benefits of physical activity for health, and the third session “Fuel Up” focused on the importance of developing life-long healthy eating habits.
Students had the opportunity to meet regional dairy farmers who traveled to the event from throughout New England. This included Jimmy Hunt of Hunt Farms in Orange, Massachusetts; Jonathan Hermonot of Fairholm Farm in Woodstock, Connecticut; and John and Karyn Luther of Parnassus Farm in Acworth, New Hampshire. The farmers participated in the interactive breakout sessions with students, and one also participated in a question and answer session during the lunchtime break.
In addition to meeting local dairy farmers, the students also heard a video message from Chef Brad with the New England Patriots about the importance of making healthy choices for success on and off the field.
When asked about the changes he’s observed in schools with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, Hunt said, “It’s great to see that a lot of schools are enhancing their health and wellness environments by prioritizing nutritious school meals and physical activity.” He continued, “I’m proud to support the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, which get students involved in this process by working alongside their peers to bring about change.”
The ultimate goals of Fuel Up to Play 60 are to ensure changes made at school are long-lasting, and to provide children with more opportunities to be physically active and choose tasty, nutrient-rich foods at school. The program offers schools grant funding opportunities to support healthful initiatives that are provided by the dairy farm families of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
For more information, visit FuelUpToPlay60.com or NewEnglandDairyCouncil.org/Fuel-Up-To-Play-60.
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