On Wednesday, March 23, 2011, the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education (MAPE), presented members of the Healthy Campus/Community Initiative and B.L. Bell Academy of the Cleveland School District with one of the five distinguished Governor’s Awards for school-community partnership.
Delta State University partnered with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation to establish the Healthy Campus/Community Initiative in June 2009 with the goal of transforming elements of the culture of Delta State University to make it the flagship health and wellness university in the state and to improve the health and wellness culture of the Cleveland School District and community.
Through this partnership, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation provides not only support in strategic planning but funding in support of the various initiatives.
The award was presented by former Governor William F. Winter during the Governor’s Awards luncheon at the Jackson Marriott Downtown.
The partnership formed by the Healthy Campus/Community Initiative with B.L. Bell Academy in Boyle engaged the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in a weekly nutrition and fitness awareness program called Fit-Tastic Friday. This program worked to improve diet and fitness habits with education with the use of a registered dietitian, fitness coordinator, and Delta State University physical education and nutrition majors.
Activities included hands-on nutritional and fitness activities and parental involvement. Dr. Debbie Fioranelli, principal of B.L. Bell Academy stated that, “The partnership between Bell Academy and the Healthy Campus/Community Initiative was an excellent way to combine student interaction with the message that exercise and a healthy diet lead to living a healthy life. We were so happy to be able to work with HCCI on this project.”
