First lady takes ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign to South
ATLANTA (AP) - Mrs. Obama is working to combat what many health experts are calling a national epidemic of obesity, particularly in children...
ATLANTA (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama took her 1-year-old campaign against childhood obesity to the South on Wednesday, munching blueberries with second-graders as she toured an elementary school that has embraced her call for healthy eating.
The first lady visited the Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta, touting that public school’s efforts to improve student nutrition and fitness as she marked the first anniversary of her “Let’s Move!” campaign. She snacked on some blueberries with a second-grade class and checked out the school’s garden with first-graders.
“We’re going to need you to be big and strong because we need you to grow up and do important things,” Obama told the excited pupils, reminding them to eat lots of fruits and veggies.
She confided in the class that President Barack Obama likes to snack on figs.
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Mrs. Obama is working to combat what many health experts are calling a national epidemic of obesity, particularly in children — one in three U.S. children are overweight or obese. The experts say obesity puts children at a greater risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and other medical conditions.
In the past year, Obama has taken her campaign before school groups, food makers and others, urging them to build more bike paths and playgrounds and to serve healthier school lunches. She has even held an exercise class with children on the White House lawn and toured school gardens modeled after her famous Pennsylvania Avenue patch.
Earlier Wednesday, Mrs. Obama appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and “Live! With Regis and Kelly,” before heading to Atlanta. She also scheduled a speech later Wednesday at a church in Atlanta’s northern suburbs and has unveiled a series of public service announcements to further spread the word about “Let’s Move!”
At Burgess-Peterson, where wellness and physical education teacher Betty Jackson created a garden three years ago, all 240 students start each morning with a “jammin’ minute” of exercise followed by a healthy eating tip. Students visit the garden at least once a week, learning how to plant, grow and harvest food. They get to taste everything they grow.
“We want to teach them how to eat healthier and understand where food comes from,” Jackson explained.
The school also has a USDA grant that provides fresh fruit and vegetables daily to students. Jackson said she tries to order food that pupils might not get at home such as avocados, plums and pineapples.
Mrs. Obama told the students during her hour-long visit to eat well, read and study hard if they want to become president. Second-grader Shania Teasley, 7, said she liked the first lady’s advice, adding “I want to be the president when I grow up.”
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Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
