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West NY School Students and Teachers on Field - Click to enlarge

Contact: Jeff Wolfe (609) 633-2954 or cell (609) 433-1785

E-mail: jeff.wolfe@ag.state.nj.us

West New York School 2 Preseason Champion in School Nutrition Contest

(EAST RUTHERFORD) – Two New Jersey Department of Agriculture staff accompanied six West New York School #2 students on Saturday night, December 17 as the New York Jets and the Christie Administration recognized the school’s nutrition and wellness achievements during the Jets/Miami Dolphins football game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

 West New York School #2 was this year’s Preseason Champion in the Department of Agriculture’s Jets Play 60 Eat Right, Move More Program, a collaboration between the Jets, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, and American Dairy Northeast that encourages New Jersey school children to take advantage of healthy foods in their school cafeterias and become more active.

 “The message of eating right and getting more physical activity resonated for West New York School #2 students who attended the game,” said Rose Tricario, director of the NJDA’s Food and Nutrition Division. “They had a great time, but also learned what people can achieve if they take good care of themselves and work hard.”

 The students and teachers were brought down onto the playing field prior to the game where they were video-taped. The video was played during a break in the game as the school’s achievement was announced. 

 The students who attended the game were Dallas Hannon, Ashlee Hernandez, Mia Kavanagh, Kevin Palaguachi, Edwin Rios and Derek Rodriguez along with teachers Mohammed Elmaksoud and Gigi Hepperle.

 In addition to being honored at the Jets game, Jets kicker Nick Folk visited the school on November 29 to congratulate the students and talk to them about the importance of exercising and eating right.

 West New York School #2 will now move on to the next phase of the “Eat Right, Move More” program where it must have at least 100 students participate in the Jets PLAY 60 program. School #2 will then be in the running with other schools in New Jersey that apply by January 20, 2017 at http://jets.formstack.com/forms/jetsplay60ermm for kitchen and physical education grants and a Jets player visit, which will be announced in the spring. One “Grand Champion” winning school will be awarded a $15,000 grant and a visit from Folk. Three schools will be awarded “Division Champion” grants of $5,000 and a Jets player visit.

 The New Jersey Department of Agriculture administers the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Special Milk and After-School Snack Programs, Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Almost 700,000 children eat lunch at school every day in the Garden State.

 As a professional football team that plays in New Jersey, the Jets take great pride in a long-standing, year-round commitment to our community. Programs funded by the New York Jets Foundation look to positively influence the future for countless young men and women in the tri-state area by promoting fitness and supporting youth football, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

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 To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.