The American Heart Association has honored nine students, schools, and educators from across the United States for their efforts to combat rising childhood obesity rates. The awards were presented during a virtual ceremony on Nov. 20, recognizing participants in the Association's Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge programs for the 2024-25 school year.
One in five American children and teens is obese, a 35% increase from 2000, with severe childhood obesity rates nearly doubling during that period, according to a study published in the MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The American Heart Association's school-based programs aim to address this trend by promoting physical activity, healthy eating, and emotional well-being.
"Alarming health trends like rising childhood obesity are challenges we can work to overcome together, and we are proud to honor those who are doing just that," said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., volunteer president of the American Heart Association. "These students, educators and schools aren't just raising critical funds; they're inspiring healthier habits and creating lasting change in their communities."
The 2025 honorees include Superintendent of the Year Dr. Nicole Wesley from Redondo Beach Unified School District in California; Outstanding American Heart Challenge Volunteer of the Year Rob Dorsett from Perryville High School in Maryland; Heart-Healthy School Award winner Zachary Barrows from Summerlake Elementary in Florida; Outstanding Kids Heart Challenge Volunteer of the Year Marline Price from Parkview Baptist in Louisiana; Open-Door Award recipient Natalie Wheeler from Community School District 22 in New York City; Outstanding Team of the Year Jon Curtis and Amy Wolske from Greenfield Elementary in Wisconsin; Principal of the Year Kacey Chong from Southern Highlands Preparatory School in Nevada; Specialist/Nurse of the Year Melissa Smith from Texas Region 16; and Young Heart Leadership Award winner Riley Jimenez from Tuloso Midway Intermediate School in Texas.
The Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge programs reach more than 10 million students in approximately 20,000 U.S. schools each year. Participants learn how to eat smart, manage stress, avoid tobacco and vaping, recognize warning signs of heart attack and stroke, and are introduced to Hands-Only CPR—a skill that children as young as 12 can effectively use in a cardiac emergency.
More information about the programs is available at heart.org/jointhechallenge.
