The PowerUp School Challenge

What is the PowerUp School Challenge?

The PowerUp School Challenge is back and ready to help kids sharpen their chef skills and Try for Five! This year's Challenge will have kids and families stirring, chopping, whisking and mixing their way to tune up their taste buds and earn the title of Power Chef!
		Over the next few months, more than 40 schools across the St. Croix Valley will spend three weeks trying and tracking their fruits and veggies. The Challenge will also help kids discover and explore where our fruits and veggies come from - the farm, to the store, to their plate - with lots of fun food experiments, chef secrets and magic in between.
Your family can join the Challenge too! Try for 5 at home: Watch for this Power Pack magazine in your child's backpack Start practicing the Power Chef skills found inside the Power Pack magazine and get the whole family excited about trying fruits and veggies Become a member of our Power Chef Club Master all 10 chef skills and earn the title of Power Chef Help earn dollars for your school: LIKE PowerUp on Facebook to start earning PowerUp Bucks for your school, plus to learn more about how you can help, check out the Earn PowerUp Bucks tab.
Want to learn how the HealthPartners family of care is building healthier communities? Check out our yearly report: Section I, Section II

Schools who have committed to the Challenge:

Afton-Lakeland Elementary School- 2/17/2017
Amery Intermediate School- 2/8/2017
Andersen Elementary School- TBD
E.P. Rock Elementary- 2/3/2017
Hillside Elementary- 1/6/2017
Houlton Elementary- 2/3/2017
Hudson Prairie Elementary- 3/17/2017
Lake Elmo Elementary School-2/27/2017
Lien Elementary- 2/7/2017
Lily Lake Elementary- 1/18/2017
Marine Elementary- 3/1/2017
New Heights Charter School- 3/1/2017
North Hudson Elementary- TBD
Oak Park Elementary- TBD
O.H. Anderson- 2/8/2017
Paperjack Elementary- 4/3/2017

Rivercrest Elementary- 4/10/2017
Rutherford Elementary School- 1/26/2017
Salem Lutheran School- 3/27/2017
Somerset Elementary School- 3/17/2017
St. Anne Catholic School- 3/13/2017
St. Croix Catholic School- TBD
St. Croix Preperatory Academy- 2/27/2017
St. Mary’s School- 2/6/2017
St. Patrick School- TBD
Starr Elementary- 1/27/2017
Stonebridge Elementary-2/10/2017
Trinity Academy School-2/10/2017
Wildwood Elementary-2/8/2017
Willow River Eleemntary-5/1/2017
Withrow Elementary-TBD

How does the PowerUp School Challenge work?

The PowerUp School Challenge is a fun-filled way to help encourage and inspire kids trying more veggies every day. This 3-week challenge is easy to bring to your school with all the tools you need to get your students Trying for Five!

Here's how the challenge works:

Your school gets a Veggie Tasting on Wheels: Our PowerUp team will kick off the challenge at your school by delivering veggie packs to each classroom. During these 15-minute visits, students will sample veggies, vote for their favorites and play a fun game while learning about the challenge. Our PowerUp super hero, Chomp, will also drop in for a quick hello and to cheer the students on as they get set to kick-off the challenge.

Teachers get:

Try for 5 fruit and veggie trackers
Classroom poster
Fun classroom videos to help meet the Health Education Standards
Power Pack Family Magazine to send home with each student
Power chef keychain for each student
PowerUp tote bag

Your school will also earn PowerUp Bucks for participating!

Earn PowerUp Bucks for your School

The PowerUp School Challenge makes trying more fruits and veggies fun, while earning dollars for your school!

PowerUp Bucks are earned based on overall School Challenge participation. The higher the participation, the more dollars your school can earn, up to $1,100!

How to Earn PowerUp Bucks

Student Participation: Students track the fruits and veggies they try each day for three weeks. PowerUp collects the trackers at the end of the challenge, and bucks based on percentage of student trackers returned.

School Challenge: Based on the PowerUp school challenge survey score + Bonus bucks for schools who increase their score by 5 points from the previous year.

School leader participation: Complete Annual PowerUp School Challenge Toolkit Survey and Pledge.

Teacher, staff & family participation: Complete staff and family survey, Facebook “likes” and signing up for PowerUp newsletters.

How can PowerUp Bucks be used?

PowerUp Bucks can only be used for wellness supplies, materials or equipment that help promote better eating and physical activity in kids during and after the school day. They may be used to purchase “permanent” items only, not “one time use” items.

Examples include:

Snack carts for fruits/veggies (but not the consumable snacks)
Balls or equipment for active games or recess (but not prizes for students)
A salad bar or food service equipment (but not food itself)
Nutrition/physical activity curriculum or staff training that can be reused (not worksheets alone)

It's time for the Power Chef Challenge!

Kids and families, do you want to learn how to cook up some fun and earn the title of Power Chef? It's as easy as 1-2-3:

Find the Power Chef Challenge game sheet inside the Power Pack magazine or print a copy.

Earn the Title of Power Chef. The goal of this challenge is to master all 10 Power Chef skills while Trying for Five in the kitchen. Cross off each skill on the challenge game sheet as you complete it. Start with Chef Skill #1 (scrub your hands) and then keep going as you wash, slice, squeeze, tear, whisk, cut, crumble, saute and roast your way to the title of Power Chef!

Complete the Challenge and become a member of the Power Chef Club. Just fill out this brief Power Chef form once you complete the challenge and you will receive a personalized Power Chef Club certificate (by email) to proudly display, PLUS a chance to win a Power Chef Pack.