Way To Go Amory Middle School

Tied For #1 Healthiest Middle School In America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

from:

http://living.health.com/2008/08/20/americas-healthiest-schools/

The average American child spends nearly 12,000 hours in school, from kindergarten through 12th grade. That’s a big chunk of time during which he or she can develop good (or bad) health habits. Happily, schools today are recognizing the many benefits of a healthy head start—and Health magazine wants to recognize the ones that are doing an A+ job. To find the health stars in America’s vast public school universe, we asked education officials in every state for their nominations; we scored those based on how they measured up to some tough criteria (see How We Chose Our Winners), and the semifinalists were ranked by our panel of experts. Congratulations to all of the inspiring winners!
The Winners:
1. West Babylon Senior High - West Babylon, New York
TIE 2. Rawhide Elementary - Gillette, Wyoming
TIE 2. Amory Middle - Amory, Mississippi
3. Anthony Elementary - Leavenworth, Kansas
4. Richmond Elementary - Appleton, Wisconsin
5. Mountain Valley Middle - Mexico, Maine
6. Miami Springs Middle - Miami Springs, Florida
7. Lakewood Elementary - Cecilia, Kentucky
TIE 8. W.C. Britt Elementary - Snellville, Georgia
TIE 8. South Elementary - Pinson, Tennessee

TIE 2.

Amory Middle

Amory, Mississippi

479 students in grades 6 through 8
A battle against its state’s obesity problem, combined with admirable creativity, make this middle school not only Mississippi’s shining star but also a national model. The fitness push at Amory was off the charts: The school collaborated with a home-improvement retailer to build a rock-climbing wall, set up an on-site fitness center that offers twice-weekly family-friendly activities from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and implemented a school-wide mission to get (and keep) kids moving. “We have become Dance, Dance Revolution,” principal Cheryl Moore says. “We traverse the rock-climbing wall, play ping-pong, power walk, and much more.”
Amory also wowed panelists with its hydration policy, which allows students to bring water into the classroom, and its healthy-snack policy, which bridges the gap to lunch. Plus, the school provides great nutritional education through its healthful lunch menus and special events like the Healthy Wok workshop.
The school’s faculty-driven push to incorporate health education throughout the curriculum earned a high mark from health-ed judge Areva Martin, who saw this as a way to give students “a solid foundation for healthy living.”
By Tracy MinkinAdditional Reporting by Brittani Tingle