Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge Toolkit
As part of the Campaign for School Wellness, Action for Healthy Kids in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) developed Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge. This program reinforces the importance of healthy nutrition and physical activity during the school day. The program features a unique activity course that integrates core lessons of Energy In (nutrition) and Energy Out (physical activity), borrowed from Action for Healthy Kids ReCharge! Energizing After-school program. A product of true collaboration, Action for Healthy Kids and HHS created Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge with input from experts with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education, the National PTA, the National Institutes of Health’s WeCan! program and other leading health and education organizations. The purpose of this program is to draw attention to Local Wellness Policies at the national level and in districts across the nation. Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge serves as a vehicle to build awareness and support from educators, students, families, and communities for schools to promote nutritious foods and time for physical activity during the school day - because making improvements to school wellness practices will empower students to be more focused learners.
On October 5, 2006, Action for Healthy Kids and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hosted Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This event celebrated the successes of more than 600 schools that registered for Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge events across the nation. In its pilot year, Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge succeeded in reinforcing the importance of healthy nutrition and adequate physical activity during the school day. Through local events, more than 21,000 students nationwide were impacted.
Mrs. Laura Bush served as Honorary Chair for the national Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge event which garnered support from government leaders, health professionals and educators, professional athletes, and the media for the role of Local Wellness Policies to ensure that American youth are healthy and better equipped to focus in the classroom.
Featured Speakers and Guests included:
Alex Azar II, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, Acting U.S. Surgeon General
John Agwunobi, MD, MBA, MPH, Assistant Secretary for Health
Jamal Anderson, former Atlanta Falcon (NFL)
Donna Richardson Joyner, representative of the President’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sport
Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge photo gallery.
Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge Across the Country
In the program’s pilot year, more than 600 schools across the nation registered to host Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge. Dedicated volunteer event coordinators in these schools and communities utilized the program to:
- Build local support for school wellness improvements
- Celebrate back-to-school with a focus on healthy habits
- Encourage students to take charge by recruiting adults to participate
- Provide ongoing educational programs for youth and their parents and caregivers by joining a national network of schools and local organizations working together for school wellness
See what event coordinators had to say about hosting Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge in their schools –
“Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge succeeded in promoting healthy eating and physical activity by raising awareness about wellness and the local wellness policy, and the students enjoyed an evening of fun, fitness, and getting a head start on their nutrition knowledge for up-coming topics to be discussed in their health classes.” - Jill Patterson, Reed Elementary School in Newtown, CT
“Our community as a whole was excited. They were happy to see us sharing this useful information with our students and their families. The information we gained from hosting a Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge event has helped us to develop some 'Best Practices' to use through out the school year.” - Jamilah M. Muhayman, Elsie Whitlow Stokes School in Washington, DC
“The kids totally enjoyed this activity. They have requested that we do it again. It was both challenging and fun at the same time. It made the students think along with being active- thinking of the foods and participating in activity. It was great to see the excitement and fun that the students were having.” – Jennifer Henning, Holy Spirit Catholic School in Great Falls, MT
Click here to download the Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge toolkit.
Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge Success Stories