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PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AAHE and Health Teacher Partner to Create First National Health Education Awards Program
Blue Apple Awards to Honor k-12 Schools for Outstanding Health Education Programs
NASHVILLE, Tenn., September 8, 2008 –The American Association for Health Education (AAHE) and HealthTeacher today is announcing a partnership to create, promote and bestow national K-12 health education awards. The Blue Apple Health Education Awards will recognize up to 12 U.S. schools for their commitment and creativity in teaching students about the power of practicing a healthy lifestyle.
"We are excited to launch an awards program that extols those schools that serve as models of excellence in health education," said Katherine Wilbur, Past President of AAHE. "Our goal is to bring much deserved recognition to schools promoting healthy behavior for all students and inspire more schools to adopt a comprehensive health education curriculum."
"HealthTeacher is excited to be partnering with AAHE to create a national recognition program for schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching quality health education," said Scott McQuigg, CEO of HealthTeacher. "Exemplary health education in schools demonstrates commitment by administrators and teachers to help children and adolescents develop a healthy approach to life. The Blue Apple Health Education Awards Program will serve to recognize this type of leadership."
The Blue Apple Health Education Awards are designed to capture how schools empower teachers and administrators to teach and promote health education, utilize best practices in the classroom and coordinate with other aspects of school health. Schools receiving the inaugural Blue Apple Health Education Award will be honored at an award reception and luncheon during AAHE's annual national convention with the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) to be held in Tampa, Fla., in April 2009. Recipients will receive a host of benefits associated with the award including:
- Recognition award and flag denoting their school as a Blue Apple recipient
- AAHPERD/AAHE convention registration and travel stipend
- Inclusion in national and local public relations campaign highlighting Blue Apple recipients
- Free one-year subscription to HealthTeacher, a comprehensive online health education curriculum
Applications for the Blue Apple Awards will be available beginning October 2008 and they must be received by December 12, 2008.
Schools may submit detailed profiles of their health education programs and their link to coordinated school health. The awards criteria are based on the best practices for the discipline as outlined in National Health Education Standards: Achieving Excellence and Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health). The AAHE School Health Education Recognition Awards Committee will review all award submissions.
More information about the Blue Apple Health Education Awards can be found by visiting www.blueappleaward.org
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Contact:
Katherine Wilbur
aahe@aahperd.org
207-512-4800
This press release is from AAHE
AAHPERD, an alliance of five national associations, six district associations, and a Research Consortium, provides its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support, and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. It is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, recreation, fitness, dance, health promotion and all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. AAHPERD serves 22,000 members and has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia, 25 miles west of Washington DC. To learn more, visit www.aahperd.org.