Unveiled on Back-to-School Night, gift a result of student-led campaign promoting healthy food and beverage choices
COSTA MESA, CA – TeWinkle Middle School students celebrated their new, state-of-the-art hydration station during the campus’s recent Back-to-School assembly.
The hydration station was awarded to the school by Orange County United Way as part of the organization’s Healthy Schools Initiative encouraging local students to choose healthier food and drinks while increasing their physical activity.
United Way partners with schools like TeWinkle to reinforce the initiative’s message among local youth while promoting the health and wellbeing of each student.
“You are all very deserving of this beautiful new hydration station,” Susan B. Parks, President and CEO of Orange County United Way, announced to the students. “By engaging and encouraging each other to make smart eating choices and drink more water, you are reinforcing the importance of good health that can last a lifetime.”
The student-led awareness campaign was led by the school’s former ASB President and Vice President, both now in high school.
“Our students did a wonderful job engaging each other via social media, school events, blogs and posters,” explained TeWinkle teacher Kristen Benson. “As a result, by the end of the school year, every student here at TeWinkle understood the importance of healthy food and beverage choices. It was clear they were eating better, drinking fewer sodas and more water, which this new hydration station will further support for years to come.”
Indeed, providing access to purified, temperature-regulated water gives students a great tasting and healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages. What’s more, the amount of water consumed each day plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body and improving cognitive function. Research further confirms that students perform better in school when they are emotionally and physically healthy. They miss fewer classes, have better concentrate, and achieve higher test scores.
The 2017-18 school year marks the second in the partnership between United Way and the school. Year 2 will focus on physical activity, with United Way staff working closely with the school’s Physical Education Department to develop goals and enhance facilities that will improve student physical fitness tests by the end of the school year.
“Regular physical activity improves cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce anxiety and depression,” Parks explained to the students. “Your P.E. teachers are committed to keeping you moving throughout the school year and we look forward to helping you achieve your physical fitness test goals this year!”
To learn more about United Way’s Healthy School Initiative or its partnership with TeWinkle Middle School, please visit the Orange County United Way website.
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Michael Suydam
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ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY UNITED WAY:
Today’s Orange County United Way fights for the Education, Health, Housing and Financial Stability of every person in Orange County. We focus on long-term solutions to the most critical interconnected challenges facing local children and families. Through our 10-year collaborative, community-wide action plan, “FACE 2024” (an acronym for Fund, Advocate, Collaborate, Educate), by 2024 we will cut the high school dropout rate in half, increase the number of healthy youth by one-third, cut the percentage of homeless and housing-insecure children in half and reduce the percentage of financially unstable families by 25%. By mobilizing local businesses, community organizations, governmental agencies and individuals, we make a long-term measurable difference in our community. UNITED4OC, we change the lives of adults and children right here in Orange County and create a brighter future for every one of us. To learn more or to join our fight, visit www.unitedwayoc.org.
