IDEA Public Schools Receives $10K General Mills Grant

DONNA, TX (June 9, 2010) – IDEA Public Schools was recently awarded the $10,000 Champions for Healthy Kids Grant from The General Mills Foundation to fund a comprehensive wellness program entitled “Bright IDEA: Keeping Kids Healthy.”

“The grant will help us implement creative ways to encourage our students to adopt a balance diet and physically active lifestyles,” said IDEA Public Schools Wellness Coordinator Ashley C. Dickerson.

Over 1,100 organizations applied for a championship grant and IDEA Public Schools was one of the 50 national recipients.

Dickerson, who submitted the grant proposal in December, said the grant funds farm lessons, class physical activity competitions, cooking clubs and nutritional education activities.

The grant also helps build community outreach through quarterly health newsletters, an active wellness website, Family Fall Festivals, and a community-wide wellness event in the spring.

“The rationale is to focus on both students and families because changes in both the school and home environment are more likely to have an impact on health,” Dickerson said.

The General Mills grant is the fourth wellness-targeted grant IDEA Public Schools has received this year. In February, IDEA was awarded three separate grants focused on promoting student wellness from the Texas Department of State Healthy Services, the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education and the Silent Hero Program that together total $14,500.

For more information, visit www.ideapublicschools.org.

About IDEA Public Schools
IDEA Public Schools operates a system of tuition-free public charter schools with a laser-like focus on college readiness that begins in the primary years and continues throughout middle and high school, culminating in 100% of IDEA students attending a four-year college or university­. In 2009, IDEA College Preparatory Donna was named top-performing high school in the Rio Grande Valley, #3 high school in Texas, and #13 high school in the nation. IDEA was also the recipient of the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award for Best Small School District in the state of Texas. IDEA achieves this through a high-quality, focused approach to teaching and learning that is derived from the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) model, a unique and powerful school culture, a small school size, a partnership with parents, and a vision based on the core beliefs of High Expectations, Closing the Achievement Gap, 100% Everyday, Team and Family, Whatever It Takes, Sweating the Small Stuff, and No Excuses. IDEA currently operates twelve schools and has plans to launch and operate 22 schools by the year 2012. Visit www.ideapublicschools.org for more information.