Michelle Obama told us to move so we did with 100 kids from Cary Elementary School in Hampton, VA. Staff and students of ECPI University, Medical Careers Institute and the Culinary Institute of Virginia got moving to the Beyoncé “Move Your Body” flash workout.
On Friday, June 10, 2011, 100 students from Cary Elementary in Hampton and staff and students from the ECPI University and Medical Careers Institute and the Culinary Institute of Virginia, danced the flash workout created by Beyoncé to support the First Lady’s cause. The partnership has history: Last June Michelle Obama welcomed chefs across the country to the White House to kick off the “Let’s Move” initiative. Included in the crowd was Culinary Institute of Virginia’s instructor Chef Jonathan Highfield and eight of his students. Since that time Chef Highfield has established a partnership with Cary Elementary School.
- Chef Highfield went to the school and visited with the cafeteria staff about what they were doing. He helps provide insight to the cafeteria staff on creative ways to prepare the food.
- The school has a three-year partnership with Dixon Consolidated Service where the company provides either a fruit or vegetable for all children as a free snack each day. Chef Highfield occasionally goes into the classrooms to deliver the snacks and in many instances uses the opportunity to teach the children about the food, its origins or other uses.
- Chef Highfield has established health and family nights and teacher programs to teach parents, students and teachers new, creative and easy ways to prepare healthy ingredients.
- He helped the first and third graders plant a winter and spring garden.
- The fifth graders took a field trip to the Culinary Institute of Virginia in Norfolk.
Chef Highfield planting a winter vegetable garden with the kids.