Melanie Konarik, Child Nutrition Director of 38 Schools and 37,000 students, is making big strides in her Houston District schools, and she’s doing it by encouraging all of her elementary schools to enroll in the Healthier US Schools Challenge. Created by First Lady Michelle Obama, the program encourages schools and school-aged children to get fit and fight childhood obesity, and rewards them for their success.
Under Melanie’s initiative her schools increased students' physical activity to 60 minutes per day and increased education on good nutrition. Melanie has worked to promote milk over other less nutritious drinks. Not only are students encouraged to choose milk at school, they are also encouraged to drink it in their daily routines. Plus she says, “The students and faculty have learned more about milk, and our milk orders increased as more students picked up milk at meals. And the teachers have become very supportive of the children drinking fat-free chocolate milk.”
Two schools in Melanie’s district have received Gold awards from the Healthier US Schools Challenge. As a reward, Melanie and her team scheduled “Elsie” the Cow to visit Smith and Ponderosa Elementary Schools for one full day. With Elsie there, the students learned even more about milk and its health benefits. With over 26 years of experience in foodservice, Melanie is pleased to report that her initiative with the Healthier US Schools Challenge, along with a strong nutritional message about drinking milk, has helped make a difference in her schools.
