Not Remotely Crime Related - School From Nixa To Be Recognized At The White House:

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Dr. Kevin Kopp

A school from the Ozarks will be recognized in a presentation at the White House on Monday October 17th.

Dr. Kevin Kopp, principal of High Pointe Elementary, and Mrs. Debby Lawson, assistant superintendent of elementary education, will represent the school at a reception to be held by First Lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn of the White House.

Dr. Kopp says the school applied to the Healthier US School Challenge near the end of the last school year and was recently notified that they were one of the winners. “We’re really excited that our efforts to make children healthy was recognized.”

Debby Lawson

Kopp says one thing students were excited about last year was the fear factor fruit or vegetable of the month. “It encouraged a lot of kids to try things they would normally turn their noses up at. This year we’ve implemented a Garden Bar, which is basically a salad bar. For some of our kids it’s the only time of the day that they are able to have fruits and veggies.”

Food service is vital to helping with the choices kids get to make, according to Kopp. “Last week I saw sweet potato tater tots on the food line….that was pretty cool. You can serve healthy things all you want – the key is getting them to want to eat it.”

As the children in his school get older and move on Kopp hopes they remember that they have choices in their health and wellness, “Once a day right now may not have a profound impact on them, but hopefully as they get older they’ll remember they have choices for living a healthy life.”