Texas Border Business
Since 2014, McAllen ISD has been a national leader in gearing its students toward healthy living and wellness habits.
The 2020 list of America’s Healthiest Schools includes 17 from McAllen ISD. They are recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG). AHG gives awards on a Gold, Silver and Bronze level. All 17 schools from McAllen ISD earned Silver.
The recognition runs on a two-year cycle. Therefore, with the schools on the list from last year included, McAllen ISD has all 30 of its eligible campuses listed among America’s Healthiest.
“Our schools that applied for the AHG awards last year were all successful,” McAllen ISD Health & PE Coordinator Mario Reyna said. “Therefore – for seven consecutive years, our district can say we have 100 percent of our schools on ‘America’s Healthiest Schools’ list.”
During an online presentation to the district’s Physical Education Coaches, Laurie Stradley, Chief Program Officer for AHG, pointed out that McAllen ISD continues to shine as a national beacon.
“McAllen ISD performs an average of 33 percent better than all other districts,” Stradley said. “You all have shown improvement in every single topic area (since the partnership began in 2014). It’s really just incredible work that you’ve done. You never give up. You improve every year.”
The AHG’s six topic areas of measurement include Policy & Environment, Nutrition Services, Smart Snacks, Health & Physical Education, Physical Activity and Employee Wellness.
The 17 schools on this year’s list include:
- Brown Middle School Silver
- Cathey Middle School Silver
- De Leon Middle School Silver
- Fossum Middle School Silver
- Travis Middle School Silver
- Alvarez Elementary Silver
- Bonham Elementary Silver
- Castaneda Elementary Silver
- Escandon Elementary Silver
- Garza Elementary Silver
- Hendricks Elementary Silver
- Jackson Elementary Silver
- McAuliffe Elementary Silver
- Rayburn Elementary Silver
- Sanchez Elementary Silver
- Seguin Elementary Silver
- Wilson Elementary Silver
In 2019, the following McAllen ISD schools were honored:
- Fields Elementary Silver
- Gonzalez Elementary Bronze
- Milam Elementary Silver
- Perez Elementary Silver
- Roosevelt Elementary Silver
- Sam Houston Elementary Silver
- Thigpen-Zavala Elementary Silver
- Wilson Elementary Bronze
- Morris Middle School Silver
- Achieve Early College High School Bronze
- Lamar Academy Bronze
- McAllen High School Bronze
- Memorial High School Bronze
- Rowe High School Bronze
Wilson Elementary is on both lists because the school decided to re-apply last year and went from Bronze to Silver.
In addition to the help from PE Coaches, the district’s Child Nutrition Services has contributed by serving healthy meals to students. McAllen ISD students receive free breakfast and lunch each school day. In fact, McAllen ISD Child Nutrition served as a presenter on an AHG national webinar in 2018.
