Mentor Public Schools Issue Healthy Eating Challenge To Staff, Students

Mentor Public Schools are making vegetables taste a little sweeter by issuing a Healthy Eating Challenge to their students and staff this month.

Here's how the January challege works:

Every day this month, students and staff can keep track of how many cups of vegetables they eat. They get a point for each cup and a bonus point on any day when they eat dark green veggies.

The student and staff member from each building with the most points at the end of the month will win a prize -- just for eating their vegetables.

The challenge is the brainchild of Jeni Lange, who supervises nutrition for the school district.

"The Healthy Eating Challenge is a districtwide contest that allows staff and students to chart their own daily results for an opportunity to win a healthy reward," Lange said. "Each month the challenge is different and it involves not only eating right but activity as well."

The monthly prizes will include winning tickets to local roller- and ice-skating rinks, minigolf courses, bowling alleys and more. Each prize will promote physical exercise.

"Of course the greatest reward is that you have already worked towards improving your diet and health by competing in the challenge," Lange said. "Everyone is a winner."