Action for Healthy Kids Announces 2017 Healthy School Hero Award Winners

Chicago, – PRNewswire-USNewswire –  Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) announces the 2017 Healthy School Hero Award winners, recognized for their work to improve health, nutrition and physical activity among students nationwide. Since 2004, AFHK has recognized educators, parents, health professionals and community leaders for their exceptional dedication and service towards the vision, mission and goals of AFHK—to make every kid healthy, active and ready to learn – through volunteer work in their schools and communities.

This year's 12 winners were nominated by their peers as driving forces behind school wellness initiatives. They represent the many faces of individuals across the country helping to create healthier school environments for students today, from food service directors to PE teachers to principals and parent volunteers. The winners are:

  • Joshua Bain, Foodservice Manager, Corrigan-Camden Elementary School, Moscow, Texas
  • Sandy Bristow, Program Director, Fort Bend ISD, Katy, Texas
  • Carrie Coyner, School Board Member, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Chesterfield, Va.
  • Laure Dejeant, Parent, Celebration K-8, Celebration, Fla.
  • Angie Ellis, PE Teacher, Washington K-1 Elementary School, Tiffin, Ohio
  • Deborah Feinsinger, Teacher, Palm Beach County Schools, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
  • Becky Rinker, Parent, Curtisville Primary School, Gibsonia, Penn.
  • Michelle Selb-Sack, Parent, Otter Lake Elementary School, White Bear Lake, Minn.
  • Rachel Silber, Parent, Hollywood Hills High School, Hollywood, Fla.
  • Jonathan Vasquez, Superintendent, Los Nietos School District, Whittier, Calif.
  • Scott Williams, PE Teacher, Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, Charlottesville, Va.
  • Wendy Woodland, Principal, West Jefferson Elementary School, Bailey, Colo.

"We are inspired by the thousands of committed and passionate volunteers who go above and beyond their call of duty to help create healthier learning environments for the nation's 50 million students," said Rob Bisceglie, CEO of Action for Healthy Kids. "It is always difficult to choose the winners from so many outstanding nominees. These individuals are exemplary in their efforts to affect change in their schools and communities to ensure students are healthy and ready to learn each day."

Read the stories of this year's winners at ActionforHealthyKids.org/Heroes2017, and learn how to volunteer in your own school, apply for a grant, start a wellness program and create a healthier school environment at ActionforHealthyKids.org and ParentsforHealthyKids.org.

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.