Rowan's Passport to Fitness Wins $7,500 Grant From Highmark!

 Rowan Elementary School is taking students to such new heights, they're handing out passports.

This week, Rowan kicked off a “Passport for Fitness” program that will run throughout the school year, all thanks to a $7,465 grant from the Highmark Foundation.

As part of the program, the school will host a variety of family oriented activities designed toencourage healthy nutritional habits and promote physical activity within the family.

In addition to activities during and after the school day, students and their families can share the excitement of the new school garden which is currently sporting tomatoes, peppers, and gourds. Students at the various grade levels will also have the opportunity to plant, observe growth, harvest and sample fresh vegetables.

Students have received a “passport” which lists the planned activities and health tips. Like a realpassport, students will bring it along to activities so they can journal their experiences and what they have learned.

The Highmark Foundation, through the Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge, has awarded a total of more than $1.8 million in grants to 244 schools in 43 counties across Pennsylvania for programs that address bullying prevention and self-esteem, improve nutrition education, enhance nutrition choices and provide opportunities for physical activity.

Highmark Healthy High 5 is a five-year, $100 million children's health promotion initiative of the Highmark Foundation. The mission of the initiative is to improve the health of children and adolescents ages 6-18 by providing them with the tools and practices needed to make informed decisions about living healthier lives. Highmark Healthy High 5 addresses five critical children's health promotion issues - nutrition, physical activity, self-esteem, grieving, and bullying prevention - by raising awareness, changing behavior through grants and programs, and providing resources to parents, schools and communities served by the Highmark Foundation.

Highmark Healthy High 5 is an initiative of the Highmark Foundation. For more information, visitwww.highmarkhealthyhigh5.org or call 800-789-1726.

Here are a few of the student/family activities planned for the 2008-09 school year. For more information, call Mike Manipole at (724) 776-1518 ext. 158.