From birth to age 5, the human body goes through its most rapid growth. This is an important time for children as they make the transition from crawling to walking and then running. To ensure strong bones and muscles, it’s imperative to practice good nutrition utilizing healthy foods. Habits that are formed at an early age tend to have more staying power as we grow older.
Newly crowned Miss McMinnville Shayla Sanderson endorses good nutrition through her pageant platform on childhood obesity.
She recently met with Dr. Sandy Dawes, Warren County Schools director of school nutrition, about programs in the local system and what she can do to help with the education process.
Sanderson is planning a program and message she can deliver to the children concerning the importance of good nutrition.
“My goal is to educate children about nutrition and physical activity, and how they can implement it into their daily life,” said Sanderson. “We also need the support and guidance from parents in this endeavor.” She received a bachelor of science in kinesiology from the University of Tennessee, and is currently working toward a master’s degree in physical education.
“By talking with children, I feel it’s a way I can use my crown to hopefully make an impact with them,” said Sanderson. “I feel they are more likely to listen to someone they don’t see every day.”
She hopes she can make her lessons fun by playing games to teach the lesson and holding their attention in the process.
Dr. Dawes welcomed Sanderson and her idea to make presentations to the students.
“I support Shayla and her endeavor to educate the children on the relevance of good nutrition,” said Dawes. “I think it’s exciting, and I’ll help her any way I can because we are here to feed the schools.”