BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — If the proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is true, then there were no worries for the 720 students at Village of Barboursville Elementary School Wednesday.
The proverb was passed around among teachers, Principal Teresa Blake, and district and state officials during a celebration of the premiere of a national promotional video called “Fueled Greatness,” which was produced by the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and features the school as an example of the significance of a good school breakfast program.
In addition to local and state education officials, Alejandro Villanueva of the Pittsburgh Steelers got in on the celebration by talking with students about how important it is to have a healthy lifestyle and joining the students’ exercise dances.
“It’s a series of conscious decisions you have to make to achieve your goals,” Villanueva said. “My goals were to play sports in college, and I knew I had to be big for that. In college I wanted to have a challenging major. I wanted to be a scholar, and for that you need your brain to be fueled every single day … The healthy lifestyle I had in my family helped me get to where I am today. For that, it’s a message that should be passed down to younger generations.”
The Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative is sponsored by the NFL and the National Dairy Council, and the “fuel up” portion of the initiative focuses on nutritional eating, while the “play 60” aspect encourages students to have at least 60 minutes of activity each day.
“Not all kids have good things at home to be healthy,” said Olivia Turman, a fifth-grade student, who is a member of the school’s Wellness Council. “I think it’s important that our school encourages kids to be healthy. If you get habits at a young age, you can continue them into your adult life.”
The video focused on the Breakfast After First program at Barboursville, which allows flexibility for students to eat breakfast at different points during the morning and in their classrooms…
