Clark Students To Compete For $1,000 In Health Bee

CLARK, NJ — Seventh graders from two Clark Schools will be competing in the UnitedHealthcare Health Bee at the Fanwood Scotch Plains YMCA on Thursday night.

Since October 2016, students have been preparing for the Health Bee, a quiz show-style competition designed to get middle-school students excited about health, fitness and nutrition.

UnitedHealthcare awards the winning team $1,000 to support school programs that fight childhood obesity, and the second-place team is awarded $500. UnitedHealthcare awards $250 to the school with the most school spirit, which encourages teams to invite their school mascots and fellow students to cheer them on at the high-energy competition.

Seventh-grade students will compete from:

• Park Middle School (Scotch Plains, NJ)
• Terrill Middle School (Scotch Plains-Fanwood, NJ)
• St. John the Apostle School (Clark, NJ)
• Carl H. Kumpf Middle School (Clark, NJ)

According to this year’s America’s Health Rankings® Annual Report, physical activity in New Jersey has declined. Studies have shown that seventh grade is a critical time in pre-teens’ development during which they begin to form healthy habits and attitudes about self esteem and body image that will last into adulthood.

To help set students on a path to good health, UnitedHealthcare teamed up with five local New Jersey YMCAs for its annual UnitedHealthcare Health Bee as part of the YMCA’s 7th Grade Initiative.

For the first time, UnitedHealthcare will award a participating New Jersey YMCA with a $30,000 grant to implement a childhood obesity community project. The grant recipient will be announced at the Somerset County YMCA on May 10.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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