Local schools celebrate United Way’s Crunch Out Program essay winners

KNOX COUNTY – If you're a fourth grader in Knox County, staying healthy can be as easy as 5-2-1-0.

That's the mantra of the Knox County United Way's Crunch Out Knox County campaign, which is designed to teach students about everyday changes they can make to practice healthy food choices and stay physically active.

The numbers are easy enough to remember:

• 5 stands for five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• 2 represents two hours of screen time.
• 1 signifies one hour of physical activity.
• 0 instructs students to drink zero sugary beverages; substitute water or milk instead.

"Education and practice are the best way to create healthy habits," a press release from Knox County United Way said. "That's what Crunch Out provides for Knox County's students! Crunch Out Knox County provides information and tools to help our children create and maintain healthy habits to support lifelong wellness."

The six-week campaign's physical fitness component began last fall thanks to practical lessons on how to use an exercise ball to enhance fitness. Each student received a ball to take home, so the lessons can potentially last far beyond a single semester.

"Research shows that families have the biggest influence on their child's health habits," the release stated. "Not only do we want the kids to move more, but we also want to get families involved and moving. By having an exercise ball at home, students and family can use it and create new healthy habits together."

A workbook titled "My Everyday Guide to Living Healthy" reinforces the instruction on ball exercises and gives students a crash course on healthy eating and portion sizes. To incentivize participation, students keep a log of their eating and exercise habits, with prizes awarded for participation in gym class and keeping their fitness journals up to date.

All students write an essay about their experience called "How I Am Living Healthy!" Grand prizes at the end of the program go to the best essay selected from each classroom and school.

This year's Crunch Out Essay winner of Knox County is Nadia Kershner of Fredericktown Elementary School.

Other winners include school winners Owen Undercoffer of East Knox Elementary School, Briley Wagner of Centerburg Elementary School, Nathan Jose of the Mount Vernon City School District and Kate Marhefka of St. Vincent de Paul School.

Classroom winners are Paizley Barner and Kara Chaffin at East Knox Elementary School, Harrison Kissel and Ashley Whaley at Fredericktown Elementary School, Abby Parks and Marybeth Vines at Centerburg Elementary School and Jake Hubbard at Mount Vernon City Schools.

This year, Mount Vernon Elementary Schools made the essay optional, and Danville Elementary Schools offered the program without the essay component.

United Way of Knox County Ohio Inc. would like to thank each of its Crunch Out partners — Get Healthy Knox County, YMCA of Mount Vernon, Knox Public Health and the Knox County Foundation — that helped bring the Crunch Out program to county schools.

To learn more, visit uwayknox.org.