Thornton Creek Kindergarten Teacher Wins $5,000 Prize

Christine Parnin, a kindergarten teacher at Thornton Creek Elementary School in Novi, has been awarded third place in the Find Your Balance Challenge, sponsored by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and Discovery Education. As a third place winner, she will receive $5,000 in sports equipment for Thornton Creek. The Find Your Balance Challenge required participating teachers to instruct their students in the role of nutrition and exercise for a healthy lifestyle. Mrs. Parnin challenged her students to try a new fruit or vegetable and to play outdoors every day after school. Students were rewarded with a crown decorated with pictures of fruits and vegetables. They also signed their names on a poster in the hallway for every new fruit or vegetable that they tried. She explained, “Winning the third place prize showed my students that beginning with the end in mind helps you get where you want to be! I am so proud of all my students for trying healthy foods, and making time for more physical movement outside of the school day. The students learned a lot about 'energy in' (calories) and 'energy out', I hope they will continue to balance their energy as they make healthy choices with the food they eat.” Alison Epler, principal of Thornton Creek Elementary, supported the kindergarteners’ participation in the Find Your Balance Challenge right from the start. “Our whole school will benefit because we will be receiving sports equipment to promote healthy lifestyles and fitness,” she said. “Mrs. Parnin's class benefited because they set goals to improve eating habits and physical fitness and created an action plan to meet their goals.“