Knoxville’s West and North Star Elementary Schools have received an award for being Silver HealthierUS School Challenge Smarter Lunchrooms.

The award recognizes schools that meet high standards for nutrition in lunchrooms and the number of minutes of physical education students get per day. Patti Delger with the Iowa Department of Education tells KNIA/KRLS News the award is a credit to the school’s everyday practices. She says developing healthy habits in children requires a commitment by a variety of school staff filling many different roles. West and Northstar are two out of only 78 Iowa schools to win the award.