Pinellas Park Middle School Students Pledge to Eat Healthy, Get Active
Tampa Bay Buccaneer Michael Clayton and the Dairy Council of Florida joined Pinellas Park Middle School students on November 17th to kick off Fuel Up to Play 60 at the school. The program is provided by the Dairy Council of Florida and the NFL and empowers students to make changes at school that will help them “get active and play” for 60 minutes a day and “fuel up” with critical nutrient-rich foods that are often missing from their diets.
Michael Clayton met the students at a pep rally in the gym and spoke to them about eating right and getting exercise. He stressed the importance of eating breakfast before starting classes and how, growing up, his father always made sure he ate breakfast. Michael also gave away signed footballs to some of the students in attendance that were able to answer nutrition questions from his speech.
Immediately following the pep rally, the student ambassador team met with Michael in the media center for autographs and photos. Michael also spoke to them about the responsibility of being a leader and making good decisions. Because Fuel Up to Play 60 is a youth-led wellness program, every school has an ambassador team who works with adult leaders in the school to make kid-appealing, nutrient-rich foods like low-fat chocolate milk, yogurt and fruit parfaits and salad bars more available. They also create opportunities for daily physical activity, such as noon walking clubs and after-school sports and dance clubs.
While the student ambassador team met with Michael, the rest of the students engaged in the “play 60” portion of the event outside. They were able to participate in various fitness activities like flag football, karate, dancing and obstacle courses. A few players from the University of South Florida’s women’s soccer team played soccer with the kids and encouraged them to exercise every day.
In the media center, students were given the opportunity to register online for the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and the school also had a table set up outside where students could sign the pledge and get a commitment bracelet. Students were also able to go to the café and pick up a grab-and-go healthy lunch option to eat outside while participating in the fitness activities.
More information on Fuel Up to Play 60 at www.fueluptoplay60.com.
