U-46 schools win health and wellness grants

Abbott Middle School and Creekside Elementary School, both in Elgin, recently were awarded grants for their healthy eating and physical activity initiatives as part of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

The program encourages students to eat healthy foods, be active and implement positive changes in their schools and communities.

Both schools will use some of the grant money to buy pedometers that lets students track their steps in gym class. All students have a goal of walking or running 100 miles per school year, thus gaining a spot in the Fuel Up to Play 60 100 Mile Club. Abbott's $4,000 grant also will be used to purchase pulse trackers and two new coolers with healthy food options for students. At Creekside, students will see a new serving bar in their cafeteria, funded through the $3,619 grant, that better organizes food based on food groups, helping students pick their own sides to complete a balanced meal.

"This is all about providing opportunities," Abbott teacher Kim Freesemann said. "We are giving students opportunities to try healthy foods, and to participate in fun activities often for the first time. Fuel Up to Play 60 has given us the tools we need to help create a climate of healthy lifestyles."

Fuel Up to Play 60 is a collaboration among the National Dairy Council, the NFL and the Midwest Dairy Council, which funded the local grants. The program is in nearly 74,000 schools nationwide and grants are offered several times a year to help schools emphasize the importance of eating healthy and being physically active.

Water for Africa: A group of fourth graders at Ridge Circle Elementary School in Streamwood has raised more than $400 to increase access to safe drinking water in Africa.

The students learned about how water can be contaminated and threaten communities in their science class. They started thinking of ways they could help people without access to clean water, researched organizations, and started raising money. The students decided to donate to The Water Project, a nonprofit organization that helps people in several African countries to dig wells and build other long-term solutions for accessing clean water.

"The experience was so rewarding for my students because it not only gave them a good reason to use skills they are learning in school, but it also helped them see how they can make a difference in the world, even just as fourth graders," teacher Elissa Thiersch said.

The students sold reusable water bottles for $5 each to raise money for their cause. Their original goal was $200.

Thiersch said students wrote persuasive letters and posters based on research and gave speeches to other classes in the school. The students also estimated and calculated profits from the sales during math class.

The students also set up a website to track their collection and provide an online space for donations. For more information on their project, visit thewaterproject.org/community/profile/elissa-thiersch.

Water bottles are still available for purchase. Call Ridge Circle Elementary School at (630) 213-5600.