Thursday, February 3, 2011

O'Neill Elementry School Wins Recess Rocks Contest 2011 In Two Divisions


The winning videos may be downloaded at http://recessrocks.com/results.php.

STUDENTS IN O’NEILL AND VALPARAISO NAMED WINNERS IN
NATIONAL RECESS ROCKS VIDEO CONTEST
Contest challenged children and teens across the country to
share ideas for preventing and reversing childhood obesity

CONNECTICUT (February 3, 2011) – A group of fifth-grade students and a sixth-grade student at O’Neill Elementary School in O’Neill, Neb., as well as a sixth-grade student in Valparaiso have been named winners in the national Recess Rocks video contest for their ideas for combating childhood obesity. The fifth-grade students at O’Neill Elementary, under the leadership of physical education teacher Kevin Morrow, placed first in the group category, while Emily Morrow, a sixth-grader at O’Neill Elementary placed second in the individual category and Drew Trembly of Valparaiso placed third. The contest is part of the nationwide Recess Rocks childhood obesity prevention campaign launched by Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) in September 2010.

The video contest, which ran from September 8 to November 30, invited children and young teens in grades 2 through 8 across the U.S. to submit a two-minute video featuring a speech, song, dance or commercial that answers two questions: “How do you feel about the childhood obesity problem?” and “What can you do about it?”. Children could enter individually or as part of a group from a public or private school or youth-focused community organization or club. Entries were judged on overall impact, creativity, memorable content and delivery and a clear message on how the problem can be solved.

The students at O’Neill Elementary won $2,500 for their school, while Morrow won a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit Plus and Trembly won a Flip Ultra Camcorder. A complete list of winners in the individual and group categories is available at RecessRocks.com.

“We decided to hold this contest, because few people were asking children and teenagers—those directly affected by the childhood obesity epidemic—for their ideas,” said Mark Masselli, CEO and president of Community Health Center, Inc. “As we suspected, they offered a wealth of creative solutions. Though the contest is over, we hope they will continue these conversations about preventing and reversing childhood obesity, voice their ideas and become leaders in their schools and communities who advocate for healthy changes.”

The fifth graders at O’Neill Elementary created a news segment about taking on the Healthier Habits Challenge to change a habit to make their families healthier. In their video, the students share the habits they and their families changed, including eating more fruits and vegetables, running three times each week and reducing soda intake.

Morrow created a news-like segment about PEPCO, the Physical Education Production Company at her school. This group of kids is working to improve fitness in its school through a student-led morning exercise group. Through interviews with students and a physical education teacher, Morrow shares the importance and benefits of exercise and shows how “putting the power of change in students’ hands makes them see the importance of being healthy.”

Trembly’s video featured a song he wrote with two classmates that included healthy tips such as drinking water, eating healthy, nutrient-rich food and exercising.

The second part of the Recess Rocks campaign was the national launch of a program that brings fun, creative movement to schools across the nation. Also called Recess Rocks, the program started in Connecticut to bring movement to sedentary winter recesses and into the classroom. Since then, it has evolved into a program that is used year-round to increase students’ activity levels and create life-long, healthy habits. Since the campaign launch, more than 230 schools in 26 states have requested a Recess Rocks implementation manual to learn more about beginning the program in their schools.

Visit RecessRocks.com to learn more about the Recess Rocks program, request a free program implementation manual or to get details on CHC’s many programs and interventions to prevent and reverse obesity.


About Community Health Center, Inc.
Since 1972, Community Health Center, Inc. has been one of the leading healthcare providers in the state of Connecticut, building a world-class primary health care system committed to caring for uninsured and underinsured populations. CHC is focused on improving health outcomes for its more than 130,000 patients as well as building healthy communities. Currently, CHC delivers service in 173 locations statewide, offering primary care in medical, dental and behavioral health services. For more information, visit chc1.com.

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