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News Releases » Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy in Marina Becomes second Blue Zones Project® School in Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy in Marina Becomes second Blue Zones Project® School in Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 13, 2023


Contact: 

Marci McFadden, Chief of Communications & Engagement

831-706-6971

Paul Ligorski, Organization Lead, Blue Zones Project® Monterey County

831.256.7267


Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy in Marina Becomes Second Blue Zones Project® School in Monterey Peninsula Unified School District


Marina, CA - Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has been designated a Blue Zones Project® school. Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy is the second school among the district’s 17 elementary, transitional kindergarten - 8th, middle and high schools to receive this certification. Olson Elementary became the first in September 2022.

 

The school, along with Blue Zones Project®, will invite the community on March 9, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. to a celebration and designation ceremony. More details to follow soon.


The Blue Zones Project® makes it easy for schools to teach students how to lead longer, happier lives. Schools are already an essential part of helping kids make smart choices about staying healthy. By encouraging better eating habits, implementing tobacco-free policies, and increasing physical activity, schools like Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy and Olson Elementary School can use the Blue Zones Project® to help students and parents form healthy habits for life.


“Our school has been very proactive in ensuring a healthy school environment,” said Principal Cristy Campanaro, Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy. “We were one of the first schools in the district to pilot food composting in advance of the law going into effect. Our students, staff and families are committed to supporting this initiative.”


Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy implemented the following steps to become a Blue Zones Project® school:

 

  • Discontinued unhealthy foods in the school
  • Eliminated the use of food as a reward for students
  • Established a walking school bus to the school campus
  • Water is now the drink of choice at school
  • Commitment to having physical activity daily
  • Creating mindful moments in the classrooms


In the process of becoming a Blue Zones Approved school, MVEAA partnered with Blue Zones Project to host a Gardening Workshop led by “Grow Your Lunch” founder, and former MEarth Executive Director, Benjamin Eichorn.


The Blue Zones Project® is a community-wide, well-being improvement initiative to help make healthy choices easier for the Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy community. By encouraging better eating habits, implementing tobacco-free policies, and increasing physical activity, MVEAA can use the Blue Zones Project® to help students and parents form healthy habits for life.


“We encourage changes in our community that lead to healthier options. When the entire community participates – from worksites and schools to restaurants and grocery stores – the small changes contribute to huge benefits for all of us: lowered healthcare costs, improved productivity, and ultimately, a higher quality of life,”said Paul Ligorski, Organization Lead, Blue Zones Project® Monterey County.

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About Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

 

The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is home to approximately 9,600 students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. The district also houses preschool and adult education. The district is built on a solid foundation of effective instruction, positive school culture, systems of support, and collaborative leadership. The district is nestled along the Monterey Bay, and stretches from the city of Marina to the north to the city of Monterey to the south, and includes the communities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Sand City and Seaside.


About Blue Zones Project Monterey County

Brought to Monterey County through an innovative sponsorship by Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Taylor Farms, and Montage Health in collaboration with Sharecare, Inc. and Blue Zones, LLC, Blue Zones Project® is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life. Based on principles developed by Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones” and “The Blue Zones Solution,” Blue Zones Project is designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to the built environment, policy and social networks.

To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Monterey County or visit https://montereycounty.bluezonesproject.com/get-involved/