Roosevelt Elementary Earns National Recognition
By Space Coast Daily // November 30, 2012
Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Honors School
BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA – Theodore Roosevelt Elementary in Cocoa Beach is one of only two schools in Florida this year to earn national recognition in the Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) competition that helps kids exercise and eat a healthy diet that includes fat-free and low-fat dairy.
In addition,Theodore Roosevelt Elementary was one of 25 across the country that were runners-up to the grand prize winner. Each of the 25 schools received an Xbox 360 console with Kinect and a television.
The contest, FUTP 60’s Casting Call Challenge, encouraged students to upload a video, photo or essay that demonstrated how the nationwide in-school program inspired fitness and better nutrition at their school.
“The Fuel up to Play 60 program has allowed our school to create many opportunities to eat healthy and get 60 minutes of exercise,” says Michelle Sirounis, Roosevelt’s program advisor. “Our greatest program is the Fuel Up to Play 60 traveling backpack filled with nutrition literature, fitness equipment and a food log [for students] to write what they had for dinner and share a healthy recipe with classmates.”
Sirounis, recently chosen as the Florida Program Advisor of the Year, has helped the school implement other initiatives such as a pre-breakfast Morning Mile, a monthly training table that showcases healthy foods, and a school garden.
Fuel Up to Play 60 was created in partnership with the National Dairy Council and the National Football League to encourage students to eat nutrient-rich foods, get active and implement healthy changes at school.
There are multiple Fuel Up to Play 60 Challenges throughout the year for students to work together to showcase what they have learned about “fueling up” with nutrient-rich foods and getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
