Grantee Profile
Name:
Program:
Grants:
Activities:
Impact:
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Healthy Schools Program
$2,000,000 over 4 years
First district-wide implementation of the
Healthy Schools Program in an urban district
362,000 students, grades K-12, attending MiamiDade County Public Schools
Changing Lifestyles in Miami-Dade’s Felix Varela High School
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the fourth
largest school district in the nation serving
362,000 students. Representing a diverse
urban population that is 60 percent Hispanic
and 28 percent African-American, 72 percent
of district students participate in the free and
reduced lunch program. A 2005 CDC Youth Risk
Behavior Study showed that among district
high school students, nearly 30 percent were
obese or at risk for obesity, 73 percent did not
participate in the nationally recommended
levels of physical activity (60 minutes 5 times
per week), and only one out of four reported
eating fruit and vegetables daily. To help
counter this trend, Felix Varela High School
was among the first in the Miami-Dade district
to join the Healthy Schools Program.
Supporting a District-wide Initiative
At Felix Varela High School, administrative
support for the program has made healthy
changes throughout the school that are
impacting approximately 3,500 students in
grades nine to 12. Every ninth grader now
takes one semester of Fitness Lifestyle Design,
which teaches basic components of
cardiovascular health, followed by one
semester of Personal Fitness, which focuses on
life-long fitness and good nutrition. In
www.msdf.org/Success_Stories/Childhood_Health/Felix_Varela_HS.aspx
addition, a variety of elective physical
education classes are offered including weight
training, step aerobics, officiating, personal
training, and team sport courses that
culminate in intramural competitions.
In addition to the PE course offerings, students
are encouraged to participate in an
afterschool health and fitness club that meets
two to three times per week for activities such
as aerobics, yoga and spinning, as well as
afterschool sports programs.
Coinciding with the student’s efforts, to date,
approximately 70 staff members have
participated in the school’s 16-week employee
wellness program to achieve healthier weights
and become better role models for their
students.
A district-wide expansion of the Healthy
Schools program, begun in the 2007-08 school
year through a grant by the Michael & Susan
Dell Foundation, is furthering the program’s
remarkable impact.
Outlook
The expansion of the Healthy Schools Program
into the Miami-Dade County Public Schools
District is well under way. Ninety-seven
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schools are actively engaged, making schoolwide improvements to promote healthy eating,
nutrition and health education, and increased
physical activity. Working with the Alliance for
a Healthier Generation’s Relationship
Managers, the schools have completed two
technical assistance sessions, developed action
plans, and are applying for seed grants to
support their efforts.
As a result, every participating school will
have made a significant impact in children’s
health and fitness by offering more health
education, nutrition and physical education
instruction to students at all grade levels.
www.msdf.org/Success_Stories/Childhood_Health/Felix_Varela_HS.aspx
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