NYC schools recognized as among nation’s healthiest
Los Angeles is getting national media attention for its district-wide flavored milk ban today, but one Queens school implemented that policy months ago.
The Active Learning Elementary School (P.S. 244Q), or TALE, which was founded in 2008 on a core mission of encouraging healthy living, removed chocolate milk from its menu this winter, after its hyper-conscious kindergartners pointed out red flags contained on its nutritional labels that they learned about in their academic curriculum.
“Our students’ levels of awareness regarding healthy living are so high, that students regularly stop us to point out ingredients listed in their foods’ labels that they regard as unhealthy,” said principal and founder Ivan Tolentino, a former physical education teacher.
It was this kind of initiative that earned TALE and three other health-conscious New York City schools an official recognition from President Bill Clinton this week as one of the healthiest schools in the country.
Each school “distinguished itself with healthy eating and physical activity programs and policies that meet or
