MEDIA ADVISORY – Healthier US School Challenge Award Ceremony at Horton Elementary
Healthier US School Challenge Award Ceremony and Doctoral Dissertation Presentation
What: Horton Elementary School will be given an award for encouraging a healthy campus through exercise and nutrition, and UC San Diego doctoral candidate Dallas Dotter will present his dissertation results on the impact the breakfast program has on student academic achievement.
Who: Presenters include: Ronna Bach, Special Nutrition Program Director USDA Western Regional Office; Sandip Kaur, Director of Nutrition Services California Department of Education; and Dallas Dotter, Doctoral Dissertation Candidate at UCSD.
Additional attendees include: Donna Caeg, CDE Child Nutrition Consultant; Gary Petill, SDUSD Food Services Director; Robin McCulloch, Horton Elementary School Principal; Phil Stover, Deputy Superintendent of Business; Norma Johnson, Breakfast Specialist; and Joanne Tucker, Food Services Marketing Coordinator.
When: Thursday, March 7, 2013
- 7 a.m. Guests may begin arriving
- 7:30-7:45 a.m.: Students take their morning walk around the field per their wellness program.
- 7:45-8 a.m.: School assembly. Ticket drawing for recognition of healthy practices. HUSSC Award presentation by Ronna Bach. Additional comments from Sandip Kaur. (School Field)
- 8 a.m.: Students dismissed to eat their breakfast. Visitors may visit classrooms and witness breakfast program.
- 8:10 a.m.: Beverages and a healthy continental breakfast will be provided (auditorium)
- 8:30-8:45 a.m.: Dallas Dotter will present his doctoral dissertation findings (auditorium) *Spanish interpreter will be available.
Where: Horton Elementary School, 5050 Guymon St. (92102), School field and auditorium
Why: The United States Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Education will award Horton Elementary for winning the Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC) Silver Award. The HUSSC is a voluntary initiative that recognizes schools participating in the National School Lunch Program that have created healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition and physical activity. Horton will be given $500 for their efforts.
UC San Diego doctoral candidate Dallas Dotter will read the results of his dissertation, “The Impact of Universal Classroom Breakfast Programs on Academic Performance.” Dotter’s findings showed an increase in both math and English language scores on the California Standards Tests (CST) in schools following the implementation of classroom breakfast.
Additional Information: This week (March 4-8) is Celebrate National School Breakfast week. The theme this year is “Be a Star with School Breakfast.” The seven-year-old San Diego Unified Breakfast in the Classroom program serves over 32,000 breakfasts daily.
Contact: Joanne Tucker, Food Services marketing coordinator, San Diego Unified School District. 858-627-7316
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