Healthy Schools Contest 2007-08

Take part in the Healthy Schools Contest and earn money for your school by making it a healthier environment for kids.

Through the contest, AtlantiCare will help your school measure improvement in health, fitness and nutrition. The contest focuses on:

• Download Printable Healthy Schools Contest Materials »Contest Guidelines (PDF) »Healthy Schools Contest Scoring Index (PDF)

  school policies and environment
• health education
• physical education
• nutrition services
• student health services
• school counseling and social services
• health promotions

AtlantiCare will work with schools individually and as a group to help them meet and exceed benchmarks.

Contest Guidelines

Click on a link below or download a printable version of contest guidelines:

• Purpose
• Eligibility Criteria
• Awards & Selection Criteria
• Contest Timeline
• Site Visit
• Submission Information
• Questions/Assistance

Purpose

Since early 2005, AtlantiCare has been partnering with area schools to improve the health and wellness of their students, staff, and ultimately the communities in which they reside.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to participate in the 2007-2008 AtlantiCare Healthy Schools Contest the following criteria must be met:

• Applicants must be schools serving students in grades K-12, either public or private, residing within Atlantic County, New Jersey .
• All applicants must become active participants in AtlantiCare’s Healthy Schools, Healthy Children Initiative. This includes signing a Memorandum of Understanding acknowledging their participation, and having a representative from their school/district on the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children Steering Committee. This Committee meets quarterly, and regular attendance will be required
• All contest requirements must be fulfilled. This includes the completion of a Pretest, Posttest, and a Site Visit.
• All participants are to have all required documents, completed in their entirety, with the inclusion of supporting materials submitted to AtlantiCare by the respective deadlines. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE FOR DOCUMENTS POSTMARKED AFTER THE SUBMISSION DATE.
• All applicants must be willing to share any identified best practices with other participating schools in the Healthy Schools, Healthy Children Initiative.
• All applicants must be willing to allow AtlantiCare to publicize their involvement with the Healthy School , Healthy Children Initiative through a variety of media channels.
• All participants must have representation at the Healthy Schools, Healthy Children Awards Dinner scheduled to occur in June, 2008.

Awards/ Selection Criteria

Everyone Is a Winner!!

AtlantiCare is aware the that Healthy School Index is complex and will require a commitment of time and support from the school staff to complete, because of this any school that participates in the Healthy School Contest in its entirety (Pretest, Posttest, and Site Visit) will receive an award of $250.

Grand Prizes

To honor those schools which are exemplary in their work and have made a strong commitment to improving the health of their school, AtlantiCare will also be presenting two additional awards. These awards will be based on the percentage of points earned when tallied on the Pre and Posttest Scorecard, as well as the ability of the school to validate their responses during a site visit. In the event of a tie, a winner would be determined based on the supporting materials provided and site visit observations. Winners of the grand prizes will not receive the participation award of $250.

Innovation Award
Developing a healthy school requires not only time and energy, but also creativity. This year, AtlantiCare will also be awarding two additional prizes in efforts to honor those schools that were especially creative in their endeavors to build and sustain a healthy school environment.

The 2007-2008 grand prize awards are as follows:

CREATIVITY AWARD, $500. Developing a healthy school requires not only time and energy, but also creativity. This year, AtlantiCare will also be awarding this prize to the school that in addition to demonstrating improvements was especially creative in its endeavors to build and sustain a healthy school environment. A schools’ creative approach must be apparent during a site visit.

HEALTHY BEHAVIORS AWARD, $500. This award will go to the school that has done the most around promoting healthy behaviors to their students and their families. AtlantiCare is particularly interested in the behaviors of increasing physical activity, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, reducing screen time, and reducing sugar sweetened beverage intake. The winner of this award should be able to demonstrate promotional activities around these themes in their supporting notes and talk to these activities during a site visit.

THE MOST IMPROVED SCHOOL, $3000. This award category is for the school that makes the most progress during 2007-2008 school year in implementing their Wellness Policy. Thus, the winner of this category will have the largest percent increase on their posttest scorecard results, from that of their pretest results. This progress must be demonstrated during a site visit.

THE HEALTHIEST SCHOOL IN ATLANTIC COUNTY, $5000. No explanations needed, this prestigious award will be granted to the school that consistently scores high in the pre and post test, and is able to validate their scoring during a site visit. In addition to the monetary award, The Healthiest School in Atlantic County will also receive an in-school celebration for its students, staff, and families. Specifics and arrangements for this celebration will be determined at a later time.

All awards will be restricted to the enhancement of that school’s wellness initiative. It is to be used for education, activities, and support materials. It is not to be used for salaries or staff stipends

** Previous “Healthiest School” winners will be ineligible to participate in the Healthy Schools Contest for two years. Winners however will be extended the opportunity to participate in a targeted field study around one of the modules of their choice.

Contest Timeline

• December 20, 2007- Pretest Submission Deadline
• January-February, 2008- Optional Individual Recommendations Meetings will occur
• March-April, 2008- Site Visits will take place
• May 16, 2008 - Posttest Submission Deadline
• June, 2008- Winner Announced- Healthy School Awards Dinner  

Site Visit

Once pretest evaluations are received, your school will be contacted to schedule a site visit. The site visit will be announced and will take place at an agreed upon time by the members of the school’s administration. All expectations and questions will be made available to the school prior to the visit.

Submission Information

AtlantiCare
Center of Community Healthy
Healthy Schools Contest
6725 Delilah Road, 2nd Floor
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234

Any items postmarked after the submission deadlines will not be accepted.

Questions/ Assistance

If at any time a problem or question arises, please feel free to contact the Healthy Schools , Healthy Children Coordinator directly at 609-272-6335.