Jacksonville, Florida – Local schools are making strides toward healthier lifestyles for their students thanks to a partnership with Blue Zones Project Jacksonville.
Organizers and school leaders at Normandy Village Elementary School on the West Side say the entire community will benefit.
The school was the first to be recognized by Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, a local initiative that helps people live healthier lifestyles.
“Being born and raised in Jacksonville and attending elementary schools similar to Normandy Village, it's great to see us focusing on the future of our young people and making sure they have access to as well as learning opportunities. I'm really excited for them to look at their own behavior and take that home with them,'' said Nicole Hamm, executive director of Blue Zones Project Jacksonville.
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The partnership will allow students to learn about healthier choices when it comes to food and fitness, which officials say will also improve their mental health.
“Intake of fruit and vegetables will increase and activities will be very exciting as well as natural, such as dancing in the hallways, jumping back and forth, and being encouraged to stand up during class. “It's so important for young people to understand their bodies and be able to work through their feelings and emotions at such a young age,'' Hamm said.
The Blue Zones Project focuses on five zip codes across the city: 32206, 32208, 32209, 32210, and 32244.
These are areas that organizers have identified as lacking access to fresh food, produce, and grocery stores with healthy options.
“There are food deserts in parts of the city that we're in, where we don't have as many healthy options as we would like,” said Rashid Williams, Blue Zones Project Jacksonville Schools Superintendent. “I live on the West Side myself and drive around Normandy and there aren't a lot of healthy options. We want to help people in our community live better and longer lives. thinking about.”
This is one of the reasons Principal Jessica Sales is looking forward to this new opportunity for her students. .
“You have to think about the whole child. When you think about achievement, you have to consider what their needs are and what barriers they have. Blue zones are actually perfect It was a partnership,” Sales said.
The Blue Zones Project is actively working to expand the partnership to other schools.
“This is an amazing step, especially at the district level,” Hamm said. “This gives us an opportunity to say we've seen these things in this school. What does that look like across the county for all students?”
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