The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Brown County is proud to announce their upcoming partnership with Coggin Elementary this fall semester. Coggin will be the first school in Brown County to earn Healthy Recognized Campus status.

A school must complete three designated health programs that demonstrate the school’s commitment to support and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors for their students, staff, and parents in order to earn this partnership recognition.

Pre-k through second grade students in Coach Phipps’s class will participate in the “Walk Across Texas!” program and complete eight lessons focusing on health and wellness. Parents and staff are invited to complete the “A Fresh Start to a Healthier You!” program.

The Walk Across Texas! program is an online physical activity promotion program offered by AgriLife Extension designed to help Texans be more active. Each class/team will work together toward the goal of virtually traveling across Texas, 832 miles. The team will log miles for their physical activity during the school day through PE and recess time and will be able to walk “bonus miles” at home with their families. Courtney Parrott, AgriLife Extension family and community health agent for Brown County, will go into the school and teach eight lessons to students focusing on health and wellness topics. The topics will be: staying hydrated, eating from MyPlate, eating a rainbow, staying physically active, proper personal hygiene/handwashing, dental hygiene, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and the importance of sleep. Parents will receive newsletters about their children’s health lessons and updates on the mileage as they “Walk Across Texas!”

Wendy Hamilton, AgriLife Extension Better Living for Texans agent for Brown County, will teach “A Fresh Start to a Healthier You!” to parents and staff. This program focuses on creating safe and healthier meals, eating a balanced MyPlate, saving money at the grocery store, and celebrating small bites. Each week participants will receive three recipes, a kitchen utensil and a sample of one of the recipes.

“We applaud Coggin Elementary’s commitment to supporting and encouraging students, staff and parents to make healthy lifestyle choices,” Parrot said. “We are very excited about this partnership and look forward to continuing to serve Texans of all ages through programs like this.”