Keller, Texas May 18, 2016
As the current school year draws to a close, one Keller ISD middle school is launching a new beginning Friday (5/20) as it becomes Blue Zones Project Approved™. Timberview Middle School becomes the second area school—and the first middle school—to earn approval, reflecting its commitment to the long-term well-being of students and staff.
Blue Zones Project®, Fort Worth is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier. It partners with schools, restaurants, worksites, faith-based organizations, and others to implement small changes that support longer, better lives.
Timberview will host a pep rally Friday, May 20, to celebrate its Blue Zones Project Approved status. The event will feature remarks by Keller ISD Superintendent Randy Reid; choir, cheerleading, and band performances; the presentation of the school’s Blue Zones Project Approved certificate and the ringing of the Blue Zones Project cowbells; and an all-student dance party. Blue Zones Project activities will begin about 9:30 a.m. The school is located at 10300 Old Denton Rd., Fort Worth, 76244.
Timberview Middle School students get high-fives from the cheerleading squad for becoming Blue Zones Project Approved.
To earn approval, Timberview started or continued efforts such as:
- Integrating physical activity and nutrition education into lessons
- Using a Walking School Bus to promote alertness in class, fitness, and social interaction
- Including more lunch items made from scratch daily
- Adding of fruit-and-veggie bar and redesign of cafeteria to highlight healthy options
- Teaching students techniques to quiet their minds and be mindful of their emotions
- Establishing a school garden
- Encouraging students to volunteer in the community
- Developing a student leadership group
- Keller ISD’s “Take the First STEP Together” program, focused on exercise, nutrition, water consumption, and positive living
- Creating a campus health and wellness council
Signs bring awareness of Timberview Middle School’s efforts to promote student well-being.
We know that when schools support well-being, students often take healthy habits home, so this benefits both the school and community. Timberview’s approval has been a community effort. The Heritage and Crawford Farm homeowners associations as well as PT Fitness have participated in the Walking School Bus program, and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas awarded the school grant funding for the school’s garden.
Timberview Middle School students participate in the Walking School Bus in April.
