Ordean Middle School is one of the 50 healthiest schools in the nation according to the Got Milk? Healthiest Student Bodies competition.
The school was honored for its healthy choices in the lunch room and required gym and health classes during an assembly Wednesday.
Ordean received the distinction because of the work of Amelia Black, now a freshman at East High School, who wrote an essay about the school in spring.
The Healthiest Student Bodies contest received essays from 1,400 students nationwide. The students wrote about the healthy choices their own schools make, but only 50 schools received the distinction of healthiest. Central Senior High School in St. Paul was also chosen by the contest.
Ordean offers a salad bar, fruit and milk every day in the lunchroom. And the teachers encourage students to learn about health, Amelia said.
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"I thought overall we were a healthy school," she said.
Nancy Anderson, Duluth School District curriculum specialist in health and physical education, was proud to hear Ordean was honored by Got Milk?. She is also proud that Ordean physical education teacher, Nadine Moeller, was named 2006 Minnesota Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Ordean Principal Jerry Maki presented Moeller with her plaque from the organization at Wednesday's assembly.
For winning the contest, Got Milk? awarded Black a prize package of Adidas and Baby Phat/Phat Farm gear for her efforts and Ordean a $1,000 grant to be used toward improving its students' health and fitness even further.
