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Photo of Oak Street School Jets decorations - Click to enlarge
School Wins NJDA, Jets, Dairy Council Eat Right, Move More Contest

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2011
Contact: Lynne Richmond 
(609) 633-2954

(LAKEWOOD) – New York Jets fullback/tight end Josh Baker and representatives of the Department of Agriculture today congratulated Oak Street School in Lakewood for its achievements in nutrition and physical fitness education. 

The school was one of five winners of the 2010-2011 Eat Right, Move More program, a partnership between the Jets, the Department of Agriculture and the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 campaign. 

Photo of Oak Street School officials with Jets player Josh Baker
Arleen Ramos-Szatmary of the NJDA, Armida Caldwell, Sodexo's Lakewood District Manager, Principal Laura Winters, Josh Baker, and School Superintendent Lydia Silva.

“The Eat Right, Move More program calls attention to the importance of eating nutritious foods and increasing activity whether you are a professional football player or a student,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher.  “We commend Oak Street School for making a commitment to serving creative and healthy food in their school cafeteria and encouraging students to exercise more.”

Eat Right, Move More encourages New Jersey school children to take advantage of healthy foods in their school cafeterias and become more active.  In the 2010-2011 school year, the winning schools were chosen that best met the criteria established for the Healthier U.S. School Challenge Program.  Additionally, school lunch and breakfast menus were reviewed and the schools had to show strong support and demonstrate efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity among their students.

Photo of Arleen Ramos-Szatmary of the NJDA during the program
Arleen Ramos-Szatmary of the NJDA

The program is now in its sixth year and features Jets offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson as spokesman.  Each school in the state receives posters of Ferguson telling students, “Eating healthy meals helps me play my best.  Your school cafeteria has a variety of nutritious foods to keep you going all day long.  So let’s get up and Eat Right and Move More!”

Over the years, many of Ferguson’s teammates have stepped up to support the program by visiting schools, like Oak Street.

“I'm excited to be here today to help honor the achievements of Oak Street School,” said Jets FB/TE Josh Baker. “Whether you are a professional athlete or a student, healthy eating and fitness are important to success and I am impressed with the efforts of Oak Street School.”

Photo of Josh Baker during the Eat Right, Move More program
Josh Baker awards a student a signed Jets program

Oak Street School has a salad bar for students and offers more whole grains, low fat and skim milk and green vegetables in its lunch program.  The school holds monthly nutrition promotions and promotes healthy eating with visits from Lift-Off, their food management company, Sodexo’s, mascot. 

“Since adding beans to the salad bar, we notice children topping off their salads with them,” said school principal, Laura Winters.  “The children are excited to try a variety of foods and new items, which we see in their choices of fresh fruits and vegetables.”

The school participates in the Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program, which provides students with fresh produce, much of which is local, during the school day.  This school year, 143 New Jersey schools in 16 counties are participating in the federally-sponsored program.

In addition, students at Oak Street participate in physical education programs, such as Jump Rope for Heart to benefit the American Heart Association, a jogging challenge, and an annual field day.

The 2011-2012 Eat Right, Move More program kicked off on November 29 at the grand prize winning Lillian M. Steen School in Bogota, which received a check for a $5,000 kitchen makeover, made possible by the Jets and the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 campaign.  School representatives will be honored at this Sunday’s Jets game against the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium.

Programs funded by the New York Jets Foundation touch the lives of countless young men and women in the tri-state area. Over the past eleven years, the Jets and their charitable foundation have donated or contributed more than $11 million to promote youth health, fitness and education, particularly in disadvantaged communities. From fighting childhood obesity through the Generation Jets: Be Lean & Green initiative to launching a football team in at an urban high school, urging students to eat right and move more, and supporting the efforts of the Alliance for Lupus Research, the New York Jets invest in programs that make a difference in the lives of others. In addition to the Jets Foundation, which supports their own extensive youth initiatives, the Jets partner with numerous established charitable organizations and participate in causes sponsored by the NFL.

The Department of Agriculture’s comprehensive school nutrition policy covers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students.  The policy limits fat and sugar content in foods offered in a la carte lines, snack bars and vending machines, school stores and as part of on-campus fund-raisers.

More than 685,000 students in both public and private schools participate in the National School Lunch Program, administered by the Department of Agriculture.

For more information about the Department’s school nutrition programs, visit www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/fn/childadult/school.html.

For information about this school year’s Eat Right, Move More contest, visit www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/fn/pdf/eatrightmovemoreappl.pdf.