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Trenton

Teaching Children Safe Routes to School

October 31, 2012

Teaching children about street safety is one aspect of the work NJPHK-Trenton is doing as part of a larger effort to educate the community about the benefits of Complete Streets policies. Complete Streets policies aim to make streets safe for all users—pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and people who are using public transit. Last October during National Walk to School Month Marissa Davis, NJPHK-Trenton project manager, and her colleague Shannon O’Connor joined with staff from Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association (GMTMA) to educate students at Monument Elementary School about safety measures on the sidewalks and streets of their neighborhoods. Kindergarten through fifth-grade students gathered around Doug Markgraf, Regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator at GMTMA, who engaged them in an interactive dialogue about pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Students took a guided walk around the school to practice what they learned, identify safety hazards and discuss how to deal with them. Children also […]

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Trenton’s First Healthy School Inaugurates Its Cool Cafe and New Playground

September 13, 2012

Flanked by school children, fire fighters, community volunteers, funders and government officials, Principal Bernadette Trapp cut the red ribbons on Monument Elementary School’s new playground and Cool Café on September 12, 2012. The event symbolized a new era of healthy living for the nearly 500 students who now will have better access to healthy foods and opportunities for safe physical activity. NJPHK-Trenton and the Greater Trenton-Area YMCA are major partners in the building and planning of the new playground as a part of the school’s Healthy Initiatives program. Partnerships with NJPHK-Trenton and ARAMARK Food and Nutrition Services, enabled the school to introduce healthier meal options for students. “Monument was chosen as the Healthy Initiatives pilot school because Bernadette Trapp demonstrated genuine interest in the health and welfare of her students and strong determination to find the funding that could create a safe place to play,” said NJPHK-Trenton Project Manager Marissa […]

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Trenton Students Exhibit Healthy Culinary Skills at Tweet-2-Eat Tasting Demonstration

August 24, 2012

Donned with fancy aprons and matching chefs hats, eight Trenton students recently brought out their inner culinary skills in a recent Tweet-2- Eat tasting demonstration outside of Monchy’s Bodega on North Clinton Ave. The girls made healthy versions of corn and bean salad, fruit smoothies and cheese quesadillas.  They also gave out samples along with healthy recipes to customers who stopped by during the demonstration.     “Everything was delicious,” said Marissa Davis, project manager for the NJPHK-Trenton.  “Not only did the girls have fun with their newfound culinary skills, but they asked if they could return the following week to cook again.”  Monchy’s is one of four stores that have signed up to participate in Trenton’s Healthy Corner Store and Bodega initiative. The goal of the Healthy Store and Bodega initiative is to provide support store owners in offering healthier options including fresh fruits and vegetables.  The goal is to increase […]

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Trenton Kids Learning Healthy Habits

August 23, 2012

Originally published in The Trentonian                   Young people from the Trenton YMCA work with Chef Dave Nuss, right, from the Childrens Aid Society of New York to prepare healthy food during an event to raise public awareness for the NJ Partnership for Healthy Kids and efforts to prevent childhood obesity Thursday afternoon at North Clinton and Lincoln Avenues. (Trentonian photo/Jackie Schear)     SHARE:

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400+ Volunteer for Trenton Playground Build

August 11, 2012

More than 400 volunteers from the Trenton community came out and spent the entire day building a new playground at Monument Elementary School on August 11th.  Made possible by a $20,000 grant awarded by KaBOOM!, the tremendous show of solidarity emphasized the community’s support to provide an environment that promotes health, fitness and physical activity among Trenton children and their families.  KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child, last May, selected the City of Trenton as a 2012 Playful City USA community.  Unstructured, child-directed play has been proven to help kids develop physically, socially and cognitively, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “There is substantial evidence that physical activity can help improve academic achievement, including […]

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Trenton Students Design Their Future Playground

July 20, 2012

What will your ideal playspace look like? That was the question posed to nearly 500 students from Monument Elementary School who took out their crayons and tapped into their imagination to design their future playground on Friday, April 20th. “Design Day” was a time for students to dream beyond the horizon, flex their creative muscles and have an immediate impact on their playspace. Student groups created a total of 18 playground designs.  Classmates then voted to select the top seven. The final seven designs were displayed on a school bulletin board where over 150 parents were able to cast their vote on their favorite designs. The winning playground design will be built on August 11 by parents, students and community volunteers. NJ Partnership for Healthy Kids – Trenton and KaBOOM, a national nonprofit dedicated to saving play for America’s children are leading the project. SHARE:

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Trenton City Council Unanimously Passes Complete Streets Policy

July 20, 2012

Trenton’s City Council recently passed one of the most comprehensive Complete Streets policies in the state of New Jersey. Led by New Jersey Future, the policy ensures that future roadway design and construction plans will consider the needs of people of all ages and abilities, whether they are traveling by foot, bicycle, car or bus. “I believe the safety of our streets needs to be a priority and I was happy to take the lead in supporting this important resolution,” stated North Ward councilwoman and council vice president Marge Caldwell-Wilson. SHARE:

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