CLARKSTOWN SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL
RECEIVES NATIONAL HEALTH AWARD

Honored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Let's Move! Active School
for fighting childhood obesity

NEW CITY, NY - - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert congratulate Clarkstown South High School in the Clarkstown Central School District for receiving a 2015 National Healthy Schools Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The Alliance, founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, recognized Clarkstown South High School for transforming its environment into a healthier place and achieving the silver level. The school also received the 2015 Let's Move! Active School Award for their outstanding efforts to create a school environment where students have opportunities to be physically active during and after the school day.

Along with only 400 other schools representing less than .5% of schools nation-wide, Clarkstown South High School will receive this award at the Alliance's 2015 Leaders Summit in Washington, DC, October 2-3, 2015. "These schools demonstrate a commitment to the health of their students, which is particularly important because research shows students' health has an impact on their academic and lifelong success," said Dr. Howell Wechsler, Chief Executive Officer, Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

As a recipient of the National Healthy Schools Silver Award, Clarkstown South High School has distinguished itself as the only school in Rockland County to meet or exceed the stringent standards set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program in nutrition, wellness policy and physical activity. "We applaud the achievement of the school's leaders, students, staff and parents and hope that schools across Rockland follow their example," said Dr. Ruppert.

Among other award winning criteria, Clarkstown South High School maintains a school health committee that meets monthly and ensures that the school implements the district's wellness policy. The food service program offers breakfast and lunch which is available to all students and adheres to the required nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold during the school day. Even the school store offers fresh fruit and salads. Students participate in physical education several times a week in a program that focuses on physical fitness. In addition to student wellness, the school helps staff stay on track by promoting access to free health assessments such as pre-diabetes, BMI and blood pressure screenings throughout the school year.

To learn more about the Healthy Schools Program and to hear from local schools, including Clarkstown South High School, how they successfully created school health programs, come to the Rockland County School Health and Wellness Coalition's Community Learning Forum on Thursday, October 29th from 8:30 - 10:30 AM at Rockland BOCES, Professional Development Center, Building 10, Palisades Room, 65 Parrott Road, West Nyack, NY. For more information, contact the Rockland County Department of Health School Health Coordinator at 845-364-2360 or steindoc@co.Rockland.ny.us.