Team Nutrition mini grants expand to include opportunities for middle, high schools

A new Team Nutrition mini grant, called Students Taking Charge, will allow middle and high schools to compete for funding that was previously only available to elementary schools.

The grant encourages students to take responsibility for their own health through activities at the school. Students will answer the question: How healthy is your school, and what can you do about it?

Student voice can have significant impact on policy change regarding issues such as smoking, drug use, violence and injury prevention. But of all the significant health issues young people face in schools today, the one they may have the most impact on is nutrition and physical activity. In the United States, one-third of students in grades 9-12 are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

This grant is an opportunity to help school administrators see the students’ point of view. Students Taking Charge applications are currently on the Team Nutrition webpage. The mini grant application is due Feb. 6. Schools can apply for $750 to implement changes in school nutrition environment.

See examples and Toolkit at http://studentstakingcharge.org/index.php/investigate/. For more information, contact Mary Kirk at the South Dakota Department of Education, (605) 773-4718.