Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Helps the Students of Leal Elementary School “CATCH” the Spirit of Good Health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2013
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2914
Megan McGinty, Leal Elementary
(217) 384-3618
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Helps the Students of Leal Elementary School “CATCH” the Spirit of Good Health
Sustainable Events Promote Active Living
Champaign, IL – Leal Elementary School has partnered with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to implement a Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH). CATCH is a multi-component initiative that promotes healthy behaviors in students and gives them the opportunity to practice them. CATCH emphasizes the need for a healthy lifestyle to improve both living and learning. CATCH has four core components – nutrition, physical activity, health education and family/community involvement. All of the teachers at Leal completed a full-day training to implement CATCH over the summer, and they are holding a kick-off this Friday to introduce CATCH to their families.
This is Leal’s first year of CATCH and they want to offer a family event to reinforce the CATCH philosophy. On Friday, October 18th from 5:30-7:30 PM, Leal Elementary School will be kicking off this year with a CATCH celebration including several fitness demonstrations and games as well as giveaways from Cardinal Fitness, local grocers and restaurants. Demonstrations will include soccer dribbling, yoga, cardio, Capoeira and more. The CATCH celebration will encourage the students and families at Leal to engage in physical activity by making physical activity FUN as well as encourage families to prepare and eat healthy meals together. Families will be able to participate in a variety of activities.
Students will attend a CATCH pep rally before the event during the school day. There are two pep rallies, one on Thursday, October 17th at 2:00 PM, and one on Friday, October 18th at 2:00 PM, both led by Terry Napper, Leal Site Supervisor for afterschool programs.
“We are pumped to be working with Leal this year. The staff and students are full of energy which is great for implementing CATCH. CATCH is a fun, well-rounded effort that affords students the ability to excel through a series of consistent messages from a variety of sources,” said Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator of Health Promotion for CUPHD. “CATCH builds an alliance of children, parents, faculty, staff and community members to teach and model skills and behaviors associated with maintaining healthy lifestyles.”
For more information about CUPHD's programs and services, visit www.c-uphd.org.
###