Claremont
Herzog, who moved to Claremont with his family over the summer, has brought Fuel Up to Play 60 to the middle school and wants to expand it to the city’s elementary schools and high school in the coming years.
“We are developing it in stages and there is a lot of potential to increase it in every school,” Herzog said. “This can impact the way schools are run.”
Herzog became involved in FUTP60 while living in Minnesota and was invited to the program’s national summit at Purdue University last summer with 175 “student ambassadors” from across the country.
At the summit, Herzog’s two- minute essay in the Power of Persuasion contest earned him a trip with two other students — another from New Hampshire and one from Kansas — to Washington in late November. The two-day conference included some brief time with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.
The essay contest at the Purdue summit involved about 50 students who met in small groups to hear the essays and select the finalists, of which Herzog was one. Speaking before a panel of judges, Herzog’s argument related school meals to student voices, using the analogy of a last-second score in a football game to make his point.
The coach, he said, was the student voice and had to make changes to his on-field strategy to thwart the opponents who wanted to stop the school meal program from its stated goals.
There is a third element to FUTP60 and that is leadership, giving participants opportunities to engage their peers and inspire them, help all students to be active and find solutions to improve nutrition and increase physical activity in schools.
“If I can do this, I think I can inspire others,” Herzog said. “I think this can change Claremont.”
According to its website, FUTP60 involves 73,000 schools with 12 million students “actively engaged” and 35,000 wellness ambassadors. The program is supported by the National Football League, the National Dairy Council and the U.S. Department of Agricultural.
In Washington, Herzog and the other ambassadors were present when the portrait of Vilsack, which is done for all cabinet members, was unveiled, and he had a chance to speak briefly with the secretary.
“He thanked us for working on making this a national program,” Herzog said about FUTP60.
Herzog said the middle school club now has about 10 students who meet twice a month to plan strategies and ideas about the goals of FUTP60.
He describes FUTP60 as a “fitness and nutrition program to make schools better.”
Expanding the greenhouse at the middle school where fruit and vegetables are grown is one example of something the club wants to do.
One of the first efforts the club tackled was a school survey on the breakfast program, asking if a student ate breakfast and whether student input was sought on food choices at the school. More than 70 percent of the respondents answered “no” to both questions.
“That shows the need for this program,” Herzog said. “We want to increase the number of students who have school breakfast and lunch.”
When he was in Minnesota, Herzog’s club applied for and received a $4,000 grant for a smoothie machine and basketball court.
The Claremont club wanted to apply for the same grant this year, but ran out of time before the application was due.
Claremont Middle School Principal Paulette Fitzgerald and health teacher Lisa DeValk credited Herzog for his approach and commitment to the program and to improving the health environment at the school.
“We are always looking for ways for kids to be healthier,” Fitzgerald said.
Herzog plans to continue the program when he attends Stevens High School next fall.
“It seems everyone is very supportive of this program,” he said. “I would like to see Claremont on a national level. I want this to be a whole community thing and change the community through this program.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
