2011 November Newsletter
“Complete people.” This is a phrase on the cover page of our most recent Annual Report.
What do you think about when you read this phrase? At SOAR, we think about students that are strong in many ways – not only academically, but also socially, emotionally, and physically.
That is why one of SOAR’s six core elements is Health and Wellness. And, recently, our time and energy in this area has caught local and national attention.
Things started off in May with an article about SOAR’s food program in Education News Colorado titled Vegetarian school seeks diverse menu. Then, in June the article Redesigning School Food was posted on the Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution website.
This was followed in October as SOAR was honored as a runner up for the prestigious Golden Carrot Award by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. PCRM established the Golden Carrot Awards in 2004 to recognize food service professionals doing an exceptional job of improving the healthfulness of school lunches. PCRM looks for programs that encourage kids to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and that offers plenty of vegetarian, low-fat, whole grain, and nondairy options. Click here to learn more about the Golden Carrot Award and the reasons for SOAR’s recognition.
On November 15 the Denver Post featured SOAR on the front page of its Lifestyles section. The article focused on SOAR’s food program and policies. Most recently, 9News aired a piece about the recognition of SOAR’s vegetarian menu. And, we are looking forward to an upcoming piece to be aired on FOX News.
SOAR’s overall goal is to develop a coordinated school health model that fully integrates nutrition, physical activity, mental health and physical health into SOAR’s culture. With significant support from the Colorado Health Foundation, SOAR has begun to make great strides toward this goal.Ultimately, we hope that SOAR Schools will serve as a model of health that other schools nationwide can emulate.
To learn more, click here to see the our new Health and Wellness section of our website.
