From September 11-13, Norris School District Superintendent Dr. John Skretta attended a national convening in St. Louis at the invitation of the Pew Charitable Trusts on the opportunities and challenges facing school nutrition in rural America. The meeting was hosted by the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project (KSHF) – a joint initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focused on ensuring that all students have access to quality nutrition.  It brought together leaders from nutrition, education, government, industry, and the non-profit sector to develop strategies for leveraging assets and overcoming barriers in rural school nutrition. The meeting featured invited experts including Dr. Katie Wilson, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services with the USDA.  The convening was marked by a series of professionally moderated discussions grounded in research and directed at identifying how schools and other sectors can work collaboratively to build on the progress already made in school nutrition and facilitate a growing culture of health in small districts across the country. The major findings of the meeting and recommendations for decision makers will be published in a report in early 2017. Follow #KSHFRural hashtag on twitter for more information.

Dr. Skretta has helped oversee a Coordinated School Health model in the Norris School District and was an invited speaker at the SHAPE America national convention in Minneapolis in spring, 2016. He is an Alliance For A Healthier Generation Healthy Schools Program Champion and a Leadership For Healthy Communities awardee. The Norris District is in its third year of a Carol White federal Physical Education Program grant aimed at increasing physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption for students. The district has been recognized by USDA as a Healthier US Schools Challenge Competition honoree and is a 2016 Governor's Workplace Wellness winner.