Seven Charles Boehm Middle School students were selected by the American Dairy Association North East to attend the national Fuel Up to Play 60, where they won $2,000 in grants
The Times
“Seven amazing Charles Boehm Middle School students were selected by the American Dairy Association North East to attend the national Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit in Atlanta with me in late July,” said Pennsbury social worker, Tammy Kehan-Leimer.
The students who attended included this year’s PA State Ambassador Elana Ruppersberger (6th), Sebastian Godun (8th), Samarth Mannikeri (7th), Riley Henderson (7th), Carley Sicilia (6th), Liam Wheeler (6th), and Olivia Smith (6th).
“These students collaborated to develop numerous ideas that they pitched successfully to panels of judges at the Summit,” said Kehan-Leimer.
These student-generated ideas included such proposals as a middle school campus walking club and the sharing of leftover food with local pantries, among many others.
“The outcome — together they won $2,000 in grants and a rolling refrigerated food cart for Charles Boehm worth over $3,000. Teachers Joe Gallo (Edgewood Elementary) and Allyssa Churchwell (Charles Boehm) deserve huge thank you’s for their day-to-day roles as faculty advisors and for keeping the program alive and growing,” said Kehan-Leimer. “Michele Spack, director of elementary education, has also been a huge supporter of this program for many years. We have big plans to bring it to every elementary and middle school this upcoming year. I’d love to take 20 kids with me next time.”
The 2018 Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit gathered 215 students and 92 educators representing 46 states and 170 schools to spend four days exchanging ideas and inspiring one another. According to the organizers, the experience provides the Student Ambassadors with the opportunity to meet their fellow leaders from across the country. Students also spend time with NFL players, tour Mercedes-Benz Stadium (home of the Atlanta Falcons), compete for chances to win funding for their schools, and design new activities that focus on healthy eating and physical fitness for their school communities.
Ambassadors lead the Fuel Up to Play 60 programs in their individual schools to engage youth directly and increase access to nutrient-rich foods and 60 minutes of physical activity at school. From smoothie stations to walking clubs, Fuel Up to Play 60 helps students create healthier school environments in more than 73,000 schools nationwide.
