The Coordinated School Health Program and the PE teachers at Haywood Junior High School recently collaborated and were selected to receive the first ever BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation Shape the State Grant. The school was one of 20 out of nearly 100 applicant schools throughout Tennessee that was chosen to participate in this exciting opportunity.

The grant is valued at $11,000 and will provide training in the nationally acclaimed SPARK physical education curriculum, teacher training and equipment.  Coach Ernie Jackson, Mrs. Patricia Thomas and Coordinated School Health Director Sharon Thornton will attend training in November. They will also be tracking the students’ progress with the new Fitness Gram Program purchased earlier this year.

This is part of the Coordinated School Health’s goal of reducing the current obesity rates in Haywood County. Since the conception of Coordinated School Health during the 2007-2008 School Year, the obesity rates for the Haywood County School System have decreased by 6 percent overall. With this type of grant, the school system will be able to bring more resources to our middle schools and continue to decrease these numbers.