Abi Al-Aswad Aldo’aly School and Geel Al-Fahd Private Intermediate School took the second and third positions, respectively.
The competition, organized by a food company, was held in cooperation with the Physical Education Department, Jeddah, and the results were announced over the weekend after the grand finale was hosted at Al-Thaghr Al-Ra’eda School in Al-Khalediyah district and attended by over 200 students, teachers and parents.
An independent jury short-listed the winning schools, following a live panel discussion headed by Dr. Khalid Al-Madani, clinical nutrition consultant and former vice president of Saudi Society for Food and Nutrition. Selecting the winning team came down to the clarity and strength of responses to the final questions posed by Al-Madani.
“We believe that the Kraft Foods Inter-School Awareness Campaign on Healthy Lifestyles and Wellness had a very positive impact on students’ perception of a balanced and healthy diet and will surely instill a change in their lifestyle. Thus, a balanced diet and regular exercise are vital for students’ physical and mental heath,” he added.
Al-Thaghr Principal Ahmed Mohamed Al-Sherif stressed the role of the private sector in raising students’ health and nutrition awareness.
The campaign commenced recently, with distribution of educational booklets, prepared by Al-Madani, to the 50 participating schools.
The booklets contained information on healthy lifestyles and wellness, facts about nutrients and foods, the importance of a balanced diet and the negative effects of obesity.
They also contained a set of multiple-choice questions and four short essay questions for students to answer.
Each school was invited to submit up to three booklets with students’ answers, which were then assessed for accuracy of answers and the strength of their essays by the jury.
The campaign, part of Kraft’s social responsibility program, is the first in a series to be launched across different parts of the region,” Vishal Tikku, Kraft Foods’ managing director for Saudi Arabia, told reporters.
