Whiting Elementary School MUNCH Night Aims to Promote Healthy Living

March is National Nutrition Month, and to celebrate, Whiting Elementary School will hold its 2nd annual Making and Understanding Nutritional Choices for better Health, or MUNCH Night, on Tuesday. 

"Our MUNCH Night is to promote health awareness in terms of healthy food, healthy living and healthy lifestyles for the families and children," said Marjorie Stevens, principal of Whiting Elementary School. 

The event runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and includes a healthy potluck buffet dinner, a to-be-announced guest speaker and a health-and-fitness fair. 

The buffet dinner will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m, followed by the health-and-fitness fair. Those attending are asked to bring a healthy food dish for the potluck buffet. 

The idea for MUNCH Night was born after reading an article about a 4H club that held a meal display, said Brenda Sheftall, physical education teacher and MUNCH Night coordinator.

"We wanted to do something similar, and the parent and staff committees brainstormed the idea of our current MUNCH Night where we hold a healthy potluck dinner to get the community together and then have a health fair to emphasize wellness."

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., local groups will hold demonstrations, including a dance routine by Horizon, jump rope contest sponsored by Whiting Health Care and a Yoga demonstration by the Kula Kamala Foundation, Sheftall said.

Students will also help out at the event. The Whiting Jr. Impact club will host a "Nutrition for Your Mind" book reading for kindergarten parents and students and a healthy cooking demo, Sheftall said.

In addition, the school's literacy coach will speak to parents about picking books that are "just right" for children, Stevens said.

"All of these great activities are to encourage healthy minds, healthy bodies and healthy spirits," Stevens said.

Sheftall said that she came up with the idea of introducing more health and wellness topics into the school when she attended the New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance annual convention last year. There, she learned about the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Program. 

Modeled after the Alliance’s framework, the Whiting School Wellness Committee was born.   

"We hold a Parent Wellness meeting every month of the school year and discuss health and wellness topics and initiatives during monthly faculty meetings," Sheftall said.

To prepare for MUNCH night, classes are taught about nutrition and students are "encouraged to take their nutritional knowledge home and prepare a healthy dish to show off that night," Sheftall said.

The confirmed exhibitors are Sodexho, Atlantic Physical Therapy, Ocean County Sheriff, Educate Green, Holy Redeemer Health Care, Horizon N.J. Health, Ocean County Board of Health Dental Coordinator, Ocean County Library, Weight Watchers, Meridian Health, Mona Vie, The Fun Bus, Manchester Youth Football and Cheer and others.

More information about the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Program is available online.