NC Students & Teachers Reach Thousands with Messages about Fitness & Nutrition

Jennifer N. Bell, M.Ed. – Marketing Director

From purple carrots to hula hooping to BBQ bugs, NC schools found very creative ways to improve their fitness and nutrition during National Nutrition Month thanks to the Poe Center’s #Add25 Challenge hosted by Miss North Carolina.

Designed to inspire students, staff and teachers to find creative ways to increase their fitness and nutrition, the contest invited North Carolina schools to share on social media how they incorporate healthy habits into their routines.  Miss North Carolina 2015, along with many of her city and regional Miss NC sisters, provided daily motivation with their own nutrition and fitness social media posts.

Participating schools, along with Miss NC and her supporters, posted over 250 messages to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, which reached over 52,000 Poe Center social media followers.  See the collection of posts.

Miss NC 2015 poses with a student to promote the #Add25 Challenge.

Miss North Carolina 2015 hosts the Poe Center’s #Add25 Challenge.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the #Add25 Challenge and partnering with the Poe Center. My goal was to reach as many people, especially children, in NC as possible and inspire them to make changes to improve their health and nutrition,” said Kate Peacock, Miss North Carolina 2015.

Savannah Royal, a senior at Sampson Early College High School, coordinated the contest as her senior project.  She said, “I wanted to do the #Add25 Challenge and get my school involved because I think it is important that people should make healthy choices throughout their daily lives…This challenge has actually helped me make better lifestyle choices and make changes to my daily food intake. I hope it has helped to encourage more people to do the same! It was fun being able to do the #Add25 Challenge with my school.”

“My kids truly enjoyed it and looked forward to our #Add25 activity each day!…They wanted to make sure that I would continue with the fitness brain breaks and the Tasting Thursdays to try new foods once the challenge ended,” said Michelle LeRoy, fifth-grade teacher at Penny Road Elementary in Cary, NC.

Participating schools included:

    • Conn Active Learning and Technology Magnet Elementary – Raleigh, NC

    • East Garner Elementary School – Garner, NC

    • Penny Road Elementary School – Cary, NC

    • Sampson Early College High School – Clinton, NC

The Poe Center and Miss NC are honoring the two schools with the most #Add25 social media posts.  Sampson Early College High School and senior Savannah Royal will be recognized on May 10 at the school’s senior awards night.  The Poe Center and Miss NC will present PoeMANIA, a fun and interactive game-show style nutrition assembly, for 100 students and staff at Penny Road Elementary on May 4.Miss NC 2015 tweet to drink milk for strong bones

The Poe Center would like to thank Miss North Carolina 2015, Kate Peacock for donating her time and energy to hosting the #Add25 Challenge.  We couldn’t have done it without you Kate!

Special thanks also goes to the local Miss NC pageants for supporting the #Add25 Challenge:

 

The #Add25 Challenge is one of several activities the Poe Center has planned in celebration of its 25th Anniversary.