Health District Coach Challenge Won by North Las Vegas Second Graders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 23, 2009

LAS VEGAS – Fruit, vegetables and physical activity are good for you, so says the Southern Nevada Health District and UNLV men’s basketball head coach, Lon Kruger. A second-grade class at Marion E. Cahlan Edison Elementary school, 2801 Fort Sumter Drive, North Las Vegas, took that lesson to heart and won the second annual Coach’s Challenge, a collaborative program that encourages elementary school children to choose healthy food and participate in physical activity. The coach will visit the winning class between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Monday, April 27. Following his classroom visit, the coach will speak to the school’s second- and third-graders.

The Coach’s Challenge is a partnership between the health district and Coach Kruger. Students earn points for eating fruit and vegetables and participating in physical activity. Each point equals a serving of fruit or vegetable, or 15 minutes of physical activity. This year, 281 teachers signed up their classroom to participate in the program for a total of 15,800 students. Collectively, students earned 205,378 points, which doubled the total for 2007.

“We have an opportunity to teach healthy lifestyles at an early age. We want to help children learn about making healthy choices when it comes to their diet and to find some physical activity that they like so that it becomes a part of their lives as they get older,” said Deborah Williams, manager of the Southern Nevada Health District’s office of chronic disease and health promotion. “We all know that making better choices early can lead to benefits that last a lifetime.”

“Living a healthy lifestyle is established at an early age,” Kruger said. “The Challenge provides students with a unique opportunity to learn about healthy choices while also having fun. It has been a fun and rewarding program for us to be involved with and we look forward to seeing it grow each year.”

For information about the Coach’s Challenge, visit www.GetHealthyClarkCounty.org or call the Southern Nevada Health District’s office of chronic disease prevention and health promotion, (702) 759-1270.

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The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.