For the second year in a row, Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District walked away with top honors in promoting healthy lifestyles throughout the community. The district took first place in the Mid-size school district category of the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge presented by H-E-B.
The City of Harlingen which also took part in the challenge came in second in the Mid-size community category.
“This is another great example of a partnership. We are super excited that the whole Harlingen community came together for this initiative the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge by H-E-B,” said Superintendent Dr. Art Cavazos. “I think it gave us the opportunity to change the narrative and change the conversation to really look at what else can we do to promote healthy eating activity and staying active.”
HCISD celebrated their achievement during a packed morning assembly at Harlingen School of Health Professions. HCISD administration and city leaders were on hand to commemorate the occasion.
Board of Trustees Vice President Dr. Bobby Muniz spoke to students about the choices they make in their lives to work towards a healthier lifestyle and how their superintendent made that choice roughly one year ago.
“When we were first challenged, there was an individual that I went up to, and I challenged him to change his nutrition, increase his water intake, and to start exercising,” said Dr. Muniz. “A year later, he has lost close to 30 pounds, he is feeling great, and he is energized. He is our leader Dr. Art Cavazos. What an example for Harlingen and our school district.”
Schools, principals, teachers, students, and staff throughout HCISD participated in the challenge from Jan. 9 – March 3, by hosting events, logging workouts, and posting on the It’s Time Texas website.
“I think that what’s important here is that although there is a timeframe for this challenge, it shouldn’t stop when the is over,” said Dr. Cavazos. “The challenge is for us to change our behavior from here on out and so I encourage everyone to step it up one notch for next year to ensure that HCISD comes in first once again.”
This year, the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge had over 23,500 people register for the community challenge representing over 330 communities. The community challenge is a state-wide friendly competition among different communities to prompt people to take healthy actions.
For more photos of this event, click here.
