4th graders Linnea Payden and Emilee Jacobs

        enjoy fresh fruit provided by the Smith PTA

             Elementary School Principal Bans Junk Food

  750 KIDS CHOOSE FRUIT OVER FRITOS AT PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

Huntington Beach, CA – June 2007 - 750 students at Smith Elementary School in downtown Huntington Beach took part in  'Healthy Nutrition Week' sponsored by the PTA, Tom's Farms, Jamba Juice, and others. The PTA provided fresh fruit, donated by Tom's Farms and others, for every student at recess. "The kids gobbled up the fruit as fast as we could pass it out!" said Mary Seiersen, RD and head of the Nutrition Task Force. "People think that kids only want to eat junk food, but that’s not true, and we just PROVED it!" Students were each given a set of Balance Bands, 5 colorful elastic bands, worn on the right wrist. Each time the student has one serving of fruits or vegetables, they move ONE band to the LEFT wrist. It's a game, the goal is to get all 5 bands on the left wrist by bedtime. Students also had a daily lesson on the 5 A Day concept eating at least 5 servings of fruits or vegetables each day.

"The response was overwhelming, both from teachers and students!" said Pam Skinner, Smith parent and co-creator of Balance Bands. First grader Stone Sharp wrote "Thank you for the Balance Bands, I've been using them all week. They made me healthy, and they made my brain work". Fifth grader Marisa Rapp said "I felt stronger all week. I was surprised how much only 5 fruits and vegetables can affect you."

Balance Bands co-creator Millie Starks commented "Students improved their nutrition scores by over 266%, when using Balance Bands. They went from eating an average of 1.01 servings a day to 3.7 servings of fruits and vegetables, by the end of the week! Jamba Juice donated $500 in gift cards for classrooms with the highest level of participation. "The whole week was so much fun, and taught kids to get their families involved in making healthy nutrition choices." said Skinner.

Smith School is participating in a program called "Alliance For A Healthier Generation" a partnership between The American Heart Association, and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Smith hopes to lead the way, for other Orange County Schools to introduce nutrition education programs, and help fight the epidemic of childhood obesity. (www.HealthierGeneration.com).

For more information, contact Pam Skinner at: pam@balancebands.com or (714) 206-6026. Visit the web site: www.balancebands.com. Mary Seiersen, RD can be reached at: mseiersenrd@verizon.net.

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