Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District No.35 proudly announces Rio Rico High School and Calabasas School as winners of the Bronze Apple of Distinction Award by The Core Purpose Education Consulting Group (CPC).
Schools can be recognized for one of three levels of distinction as determined by the completion of six healthy school modules. The modules include healthy classroom, healthy school/community, health leadership, social & emotional climate, nutrition and physical activity. Schools must provide evidence that health activities have been incorporated into their curriculum.
“We are very proud of these two schools,” stated Assistant Superintendent Stephen Schadler. “We have prioritized health and wellness in our schools right alongside academic excellence for over a decade now and it’s always nice to see the hard work from the schools pay off.”
The CPC Awards of Distinction include:
Bronze Apple Award of Distinction - Schools must complete 3-4 modules
Silver Apple Award of Distinction - School must complete at least 5 of the 6 modules.
Sapphire Apple Award of Distinction- Schools must complete all modules
The awards come as a result of a longtime District initiative to incorporate health and wellness into all SCV35 schools. The District introduced the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) in 2013 to review and refine the District’s wellness policies. This year, with the help of a partnership with U of A Cooperative Extension and AZ Health Zone, they introduced school-level SHACs to take the initiative deeper.
“Having site-based SHACs is a significant step towards ensuring that all of our schools meet the expectations and guidelines set forth by various state and federal agencies,” said Schadler. “Our goal is to have all five of our schools start with CPC Bronze level recognition. From there, we’ll just keep getting better.”
The CPC works with schools to help integrate health and wellness programs into their curriculum and school culture. Their efforts have been recognized by multiple agencies as national experts for excellence in the field of education and health and wellness.