West Des Moines' Phenix Elementary Named Healthiest in State

Phenix Elementary was named Iowa’s healthiest K-12 school at the third annual Healthy Iowa Awards Oct. 20, according to a news release from the West Des Moines school district.
 
The Healthy Iowa Awards are presented by the Academy for a Healthy Iowa, which is a collaborative effort among the Iowa Department of Public Health, Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Nutrition and Wellness Council of Iowa. Award winners are selected based on providing access to wellness, programming, financial commitment, measurability, and sustainability. Winners retain the Healthy Iowa designation for three years. 
 
“We are very honored to receive this award,” said Phenix Principal Andrea Boyd, in the news release. “Thank you to our families, students and staff for supporting our efforts. Students who are healthy can focus more on learning and we have seen the improvements in our students here at Phenix.”
 
As part of the school’s efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle, students at Phenix participate in Wellness Wednesdays, where the entire school meets in the gym for a half hour of physical activity each week. The students receive instruction on where vitamins and minerals come from and why they are good for you, classroom lessons on different fruits and veggies they may not have been introduced to and monthly food tastings for students to try to fruit and vegetable of the month.

The news release said Phenix was also a recipient of the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Grant, which provides the students with a serving of fruits and vegetables each day.