PULASKI STREET SCHOOL RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL HEALTH AWARD
Also See: Healthier Generation PowerPoint/Movie

Pulaski Street Health Teacher Sandra Hummer (right) and RCSD Food Director, Karen Ball, (left) submitted the Pulaski Street School's wellness program to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which is an alliance funded by the Bill Clinton Foundation that works with the American Heart Association to encourage and recognize outstanding wellness efforts by school districts to "create environments where physical activity and healthy eating are accessible and encouraged."
Riverhead and West Babylon were the only Long Island schools to be recognized!
Check out the entry on Pulaski at the Alliance's website or click on
"Success Stories."

(January 2010) It’s January, and almost every American has resolved to lose weight, exercise, and eat healthier in the year ahead. The Pulaski Street School in the Riverhead Central School District used that yearly resolution to formulate a concrete wellness program for Pulaski students and staff. That resolve was rewarded—the school was recognized with a bronze certificate as a model school and a national leader in a nationwide effort to promote wellness in the nation’s schools and communities. Pulaski won this Healthier Generation recognition award through a consortium of efforts throughout the district highlighted and detailed by Food Service Program Director Karen Ball and Pulaski Street School health teacher Sandra Hummer. Seven thousand schools from fifty states are enrolled in the Healthier Generation national recognition program. The winning schools were profiled on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s web site. Riverhead’s Pulaski Street School was one of only two Long Island schools chosen for this recognition.

“After rigorous evaluation in nine areas of wellness, Pulaski Street School was recognized as a model school and a national leader in promoting public school wellness programs. It gives me great pride to know we were recognized as holding our students to higher standards then most schools in the country. Only one other district in all of Nassau and Suffolk County earned this award sponsored by the American Heart Association and the Bill Clinton Foundation,” states 5th and 6th grade Health teacher Ms. Sandra Hummer.

To earn “The Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Award”, schools must meet the requisite number of best practice criteria in each of the following nine content areas that address school health improvement:

• Policy/Systems

• School Meals Programs
  
  
• Competitive Foods & Beverages
  
  
• Health Education
  
  
• Physical Activity
  
  
• School Employee Wellness
  
  
• School Wellness Committee
  
  
• Physical Education
  
  
• Before and After school Programs

The Alliance offers national awards at the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels. The criteria is reviewed annually by the American Heart Association and the Healthy Schools Program panel. In order to qualify for this prestigious award, the district had to qualify in all of the areas listed above.

In the area of policy, the District has adopted a Wellness Policy containing the elements required by the 2004 Congressional Child Nutrition reauthorization and convened a wellness council/committee. 

The Schools Meals Program participates in the School Breakfast and Lunch programs and meets USDA nutrition standards. Through its card system for payment, it avoids “overt identification” of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Food service employees, who prepare and serve meals, participate in training, covering techniques such as reducing fat and sodium in food preparation, and portion control.

The Physical Education and Health classes offer skills-based instruction on healthy eating and physical activity as part of a dedicated comprehensive health education program, which includes physical activity, recess, after school programs, walking, heart healthy programs, and more.

Examples of the programs that went into winning this national recognition include many of the opportunities listed above in the 2009 New York State Best Practices Award, as well as programs like Pulaski Street’s “Sugarless Wednesday”, an Anti-smoking Campaign, Go Red for Women, Wear Red Day, and Healthy Steps Program, which stresses the importance of exercise as part of heart health.

“I am proud of the student’s and appreciate the support of the administration and staff here at Pulaski Street to make this school a healthy place to learn and work,” states Pulaski Street Principal David Densieski.

Slide show: The slideshow above includes some of the programs implemented throughout the district to improve wellness in addition to Pulaski Street's program.

As a recipient of the  Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Award, this school reached an important benchmark in improving the learning and working environments of students and staff. By making significant changes in the areas of healthy eating, physical activity and staff wellness, this school has joined a growing movement of committed individuals and organizations that are working to combat childhood obesity and foster healthier communities. View all 2008-09 recognized schools >>

ALSO SEE: 2009 New York State Best Practices Award "For Excellence in Promoting Healthy Choices / Nutrition Education