The Let’s Eat Healthy Educator Recognition Program

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The Let’s Eat Healthy Educator Recognition Program

Advocates for Student Health through Nutrition Education

The Let’s Eat Healthy Educator Recognition Program celebrates California educators who enable, inspire and motivate students to make healthier food choices and develop lifelong healthy eating habits. Dairy Council of California proudly recognizes the efforts of all educators who have made a positive difference in the health of their students within their school communities and beyond. We share their stories to highlight their efforts and inspire others.

The program also includes an award component. All educators who embody the spirit of the program are eligible for nomination for teaching nutrition education and demonstrating outstanding advocacy. The criteria for nomination includes, at a minimum, teaching science-based nutrition education. The additional factors considered during the selection process, such as incorporating nutrition into a school event or growing a school garden, are what set these educators apart.

Let's Eat Healthy Leadership Award Winners

We are proud to recognize the following winners for the 2020-21 school year:

Jaime Brown

TSA Physical Education, Health and Nutrition Teacher
Madera Unified School District
Madera, CA

Jaime Brown is a teacher on special assignment in Madera, California. As a teacher in the Central Valley for almost 15 years, Jaime has led nutrition and physical education efforts integrated with professional development to support districtwide health interventions with demonstrated success in her district, including a notable decrease in overweight/obesity rates and an increase in healthy behaviors among students. Jaime teaches nutrition education as part of the physical education curriculum because she believes it is an essential life skill all students should have. She is proud to support school gardens like the one at Maddison Elementary because teaching students ag literacy helps them make the connection between how food is grown and the food they see in the school cafeteria. She shared:

Nutrition education is applicable to all students and their everyday lives, providing a strong platform for project-based learning. Food is needed for survival. It brings people together and is something all students and their families can relate to.

Learn more about Jaime and why she teaches nutrition education in the videos below:

Meet Jaime Brown, A Physical Education Teacher

Jaime is physical education teacher on special assignment in Madera, CA and has taught for 15 years.

Why I Teach Nutrition Education with Jaime Brown

Jamie believes nutrition and physical education are critical to supporting overall health.

Scott Brown

Physical Education Teacher
Gaston Middle School
Fresno, CA

Scott Brown is a physical education teacher in Fresno, California. Scott transformed traditional lessons into a digital education platform to ensure nutrition remained part of the physical education curriculum. Leaning on technology and the trust he builds with his students, he improves their lives. Using nutrition education as a tool, he not only teaches healthy eating habits but also identifies and connects students to resources to ensure they have access to the healthful foods he teaches about in his classroom. He uses Nearpod, an educational platform, to creatively integrate nutrition curriculum as part of physical education to provide his students with a hands-on, interactive experience. Through this process, he was able to identify which of his students lacked the proper access to food. This inspired him to partner with the school district’s food services department and a local church to create a food assistance program. Scott believes all educators should expand classroom instruction to include health and nutrition. He believes it is absolutely vital to preparing students to live healthier, better lives. Not only should educators teach nutrition education, they should make sure students are able to grasp it, learn it and apply it in their lives. He shared:

I teach nutrition education in my classroom to prepare my students and enable them to lead healthy, balanced and happy lives. I know the important role nutrition plays on health, and I want my students to have the knowledge they need to live successful lives.

Learn more about Scott and why he teaches nutrition education in the videos below:

Meet Scott Brown, A Physical Education Teacher

Scott Brown is a physical education teacher at Gaston Middle School in Fresno, CA.

Why I Teach Nutrition Education with Scott Brown

Scott believes all educators should expand classroom instruction to include health and nutrition.

Christian Manalo

Middle and High School Physical Education Teacher
Legacy Magnet Academy
Tustin, CA

Christian Manalo is a physical education teacher in Tustin, California. Christian incorporates nutrition education into his curriculum because he believes it is a vital component of overall health. To support healthier students, he collaborated with his physical education team to develop a student-led nutrition podcast to inspire healthier eating habits peer-to-peer and beyond to families and the entire school community. He believes that physical education and nutrition are the building blocks to overall health and wellness. By utilizing technology to inspire student learning and instill passion for a healthy lifestyle, Christian was able to inspire students to create a platform to empower healthier eating habits for fellow students, families and the entire school community. Teaching nutrition as a component of physical education, Christian is able to build strong relationships with his students. He believes:

Physical education and nutrition are the building blocks to overall health and wellness. Nutrition greatly contributes to overall health, and by teaching it to students earlier in life, they are better equipped to develop healthy habits that will support lifelong health.

Learn more about Christian and why he teaches nutrition education in the videos below:

Meet Christian Manalo, A Physical Education Teacher

Christian Manalo is a middle + high school physical education teacher at Legacy Magnet Academy.

Why I Teach Nutrition Education with Christian Manalo

Christian teaches nutrition education because he believes it is a vital component of overall health.

Pamela Stephenson

2nd Grade Teacher
Cram Elementary School
Highland, CA

Pamela Stephenson is a second grade teacher in Highland, California. For the last 25 years, Pamela has taught nutrition as part of her classroom curriculum, incorporating hands-on activities like soup making and food tasting into her lessons to bring to life the importance and applicability of nutrition. This allows her students to experience and describe foods using their senses, build self-awareness and social-emotional intelligence, and create positive community experiences. She loves teaching nutrition because she believes it is an essential life skill that empowers students. She is a strong advocate for Dairy Council of California’s nutrition resources because they are free, science-based and integrate common core standards, social-emotional learning. This makes it easy to teach while also meeting the needs of her students. She believes:

Nutrition education builds a strong foundation for student health, helping students make the connection between the food they eat and their health. By teaching students why nutrition is important and how to make healthier food choices earlier in life, they are able to use this knowledge to help them for the rest of their lives.

Learn more about Pamela and why she teaches nutrition education in the videos below:

Meet Pamela Stephenson, A 2nd Grade Teacher

Pamela Stephenson is a 2nd grade teacher at Cram Elementary School in Highland, CA.

Why I Teach Nutrition Education with Pamela Stephenson

Pamela loves teaching nutrition because she believes it is an essential life skill.

These four outstanding educators are recognized for their passion and their efforts in elevating the health of their students and school community by incorporating nutrition education in their curriculum. We appreciate their great work and ongoing commitment to student health!

Learn more about last year's winners by clicking here.

Tune into the complete Let's Eat Healthy Leadership Award playlist on our YouTube channel.

Interested in Teaching Resources?

Nutrition education resources for any grade designed by teachers and registered dietitians.

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