Healthy Kids are the focus of local schools this month

An engaging new mural on the wall of the lunchroom met these Dyersburg Intermediate School students as they returned to school from fall break. Arriving just in time to celebrate National School Lunch Week Oct. 19-23, the mural was created by local artist Jenny Bowman. The artwork was the idea of the DIS Coordinated School Health Healthy School Team, with funds provided through the Coordinated School Health program.

Students in the Dyersburg City School System were on fall break during National Child Health Week, Oct. 5-11, so local organizers plan to provide several opportunities for students to participate in health-conscious activities the week of Oct. 25.

Coordinated School Health representatives and officials with both school systems are working hard to address some staggering statistics for Tennessee children in terms of body-mass index ratios, low physical activity and chronic problems relating to obesity.

In Tennessee today, more than one-third of all children are either overweight or obese, with 20 percent having a BMI greater than the 95th percentile and 15 percent holding a BMI between the 85th an 95th percentile.

Tennessee ranks fifth in the nation for the number of children who are overweight, and is among the top six states in the nation for children who participate in the least amount of physical activity and feature the most chronic problems related to obesity - problems like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

Dyersburg Mayor John Holden signs a proclamation announcing Oct. 25-31 as Child Health Week for students in the Dyersburg City School System. Students in the city system were on Fall Break during the national observance of Child Health Week, Oct. 5-11, so organizers have planned many activities for students the last week of October. Poster contests in all schools will be held to promote healthy choices and - for the older kids - to remind them to continue receiving wellness checkups available to them through the TennCare Program. From left, front, TennCare Outreach Worker Holly Korn, Holden, Medsouth Medical Center Director Shelia Curtis; back, Dyer County School System Coordinated School Health Coordinator Cristy Evans, YMCA CEO Randy Burns, and Dyersburg City School System Coordinated School Health Coordinator Nancy Deere.

CSH has partnered with several organizations in the community to bring awareness to this problem. Recently, CSH Coordinators for the city and county school systems met with local and state representatives to kick off Child Health Week with a proclamation by Dyersburg Mayor John Holden. Representatives from MedSouth Healthcare, the YMCA and TennCare were on hand to bring attention to the issue of childhood obesity in Tennessee children.

During Child Health Week, children in both public school systems will have the opportunity to participate in a poster contest to promote good health choices. For the system's younger students, the theme will be "Healthy Youth, Healthy Future."

For older students, the theme will shift to "Get It! Your Checkup!" or "I Get It!", a statewide initiative to remind older students to continue the wellness checkups available to them through the state's TennCare program.

"So many times, after these children get into school, they just drop off the radar," said Dyersburg City Schools CSH Coordinator Nancy Deere. "This campaign will remind students throughout Dyer County to continue getting their wellness checkups. And, since Dyersburg and Dyer County have such a cooperative spirit, we have many community partners here to help make this happen."

TennderCare Outreach Worker Holly Korn urges parents with older students to continue wellness checkups under the TennCare program.

MedSouth Healthcare will provide prizes for the contest, with gift cards presented to the winners of each school's contest. Students will complete their posters in art class throughout the week. Each school will submit five entries to the statewide contest.

Local students were also on fall break for National School Lunch Week, originally planned for Oct. 12-16. Schools in the Dyersburg School System will instead celebrate School Lunch Week Oct. 19-23.

During the week, students of all ages will be treated to "All Star School Lunch" themes, with pencils, bookmarks, rulers and erasers passed out and entertaining entrees available on the menu.

Students at Dyersburg Intermediate School were treated to more than one surprise in the lunchroom when they returned from Fall Break. Local artist Jenny Bowman created a mural on the lunchroom wall incorporating the food pyramid, exercise and entertaining characters.

The DIS Coordinated School Health Healthy School Team came up with the idea for the mural, with CSH funds providing it.

In a recent press release, Gov. Phil Bredesen recognized the crucial role school meal programs play in student learning.

"Healthy meals give students the fuel they need to succeed in school and help establish good eating habits," said Bredesen. "The school lunch program is one component of a much larger school nutrition program dedicated to graduating healthy students."

"We are fortunate to have the federally funded National School Lunch Program, which feeds more than 650,000 children every school day," said Tennessee Department of Education Director of School Nutrition Sarah White in the same press release. "For some children, this lunch is their most nutritious, if not their only, meal of the day."