Pink Elementary School
Frisco, Texas

When Dr. Erwin Pink began serving on the school board in 1955 Frisco, Texas was a much different place – children played outside, walked to school and fast food restaurants did not yet exist. Dr. Pink served as the volunteer school health official and football team doctor, and served more terms than any school board member since. Dr. Pink was passionate about school health, and Pink Elementary was named after him and his wife, Elizabeth, when it opened in 2005.

Thanks to a Game On grant made possible by ALDI, Pink Elementary expanded on Dr. Pink’s work in school health and wellness by developing a plan to include nutrition and physical activity into every aspect of the school day. To start the morning, the school makes announcements about eating healthy and continues the efforts through lunch with “Try Day Friday,” where students tasted different foods every month. Additionally, the PTA healthy lifestyle chair took pictures of every event for the new “Healthy Selfies” bulletin board.

To bring in the families into the mix, Pink Elementary hosted Health-a-Palooza, a health and science fair in which 70 community organizations and businesses participated in activities promoting health and wellness, including a Wellness Challenge, Walking Wednesday and Eating around the Rainbow.

The culminating event for this outstanding year was celebrating Every Kid Healthy Week with the first annual community Fun Run. Pink Elementary expected approximately 200 participants (school enrollment is 580), but was pleasantly surprised when 372 students and family members registered for the run! The day also featured a bounce house, food trucks and a visit from the Dallas Cowboy’s mascot.

Jeannine Speiden, Pink Elementary PTA healthy lifestyle chair, said, “We very much appreciate the Game On grant and look forward to expanding our wellness programs and initiatives.”

It is a fitting tribute for Dr. Pink to have his namesake school be successful in student and family health!