Former Olympian Jackie Joyner Kersee commends St. Louis school for healthy initiatives

ST. LOUIS — Olympian Jackie Joyner Kersee spent Wednesday morning at Maplewood Richmond Heights High School. As part of Kersee's Get Fit Initiative, she and representatives from the USDA recognized the school district for its longtime commitment to improved nutrition and physical fitness.

"You can never measure how big the need is because you know there's a need. What Maplewood is doing is really bringing people together to have this dialogue. And try to figure out how we fill in the gaps where there is a void or fill those needs," said Jackie Joyner Kersee.

The team of experts and administrators shared how community groups can leverage federal and state programs to enhance their efforts.

"For the past 10 years, we've had this journey with healthy eating initiatives and also our physical education programs. And we've been very responsive to the dichotomous community that we serve to develop wrap-around services that meet the needs of our community," said Karen I. Hall, Maplewood Richmond Heights Superintendent.

The school has been successful because of their hands on approach with children throughout the district starting in preschool.

"You want to insure that students know where their food comes from – healthy alternatives to processed food. And then just to be engaged with project based learning with being in the gardens. We harvest honey. We have bee hives. And we have aquaponics where we have fish" said Hall.