DERVAL O’ROURKE CELEBRATES WITH WINNING MOO CREW SCHOOLS FROM DONEGAL & LONGFORD

COUNTY WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN MOO CREW PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPETITION

Derval O’Rourke, the well-known sprint hurdler who is a World Indoor Champion, multiple European medallist and three time Olympian, was in Dublin to celebrate with the top winning primary school children in the National Dairy Council’s Moo Crew – Primary Dairy Moovement.

Moo Crew is a fun and interactive way for children to learn about the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet and the importance of exercise – to ‘get moo-ving’.  It is supported by the NDC in light of research that showed 37% of girls and 28% of boys aged from 5 – 12 years in Ireland had inadequate calcium intakes in their diet. (Ref 1)  

DONEGAL AND LONGFORD SCHOOLS WIN TOP PRIZES

The top classes in the Junior Category and Senior Category of the NDC’s national competition each won a sports equipment pack worth €1,000 for their school and the day out in Airfield Farm in Dublin, with Olympic star Derval O’Rourke.  The overall national winners of Moo Crew for 2016 are:

• National Winners, Junior Category - Junior Class, Little Angels Special School, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal (Junior class Teacher Ms. Daire Diver)
• National Winners, Senior Category - 4th & 5th Class, Sacred Heart Primary School, Granard, Co Longford (Teachers Ms. Carmel Shaughnessy and Ms. Grace McGauran)

Milly, the Moo Crew Mascot cow, joined in the action packed day which included milking cows, farmyard experiences and butter making; as well as activities such as bug hunting and woodland walks.

“I have always loved to run and compete and take part in sports,” said Derval O’Rourke. “I quickly learned that eating and drinking the right foods are as important as being active – and that good nutrition could in fact help me to train and compete.”     

“Moo Crew is a great way for primary school children to learn healthy lifestyle skills in a creative and fun way, supported by lesson plans, website resources and of course with Milly the cow encouraging us with her own exercises and tips,” said Derval.”

“ “The great thing about the Moo Crew programme is that it  helps children to learn about the importance of an active lifestyle and healthy, balanced diet; to learn about food groups, about portion sizes and to make smart choices about what they eat and drink. Learning these skills at a young age can help to instil good habits and carry them through the teenage years and on into adulthood” says NDC Nutritionist Caroline O’Donovan. 

“We also know that our younger years are a crucial time to ensure we have sufficient bone-friendly nutrients in our diet to support normal bone growth and development. Milk, yogurt and cheese are natural sources of calcium, protein and phosphorus which all play vital roles in bone health. There are also other nutrients in milk which contribute to our health - with just one glass of milk providing calcium, protein and phosphorus; as well as iodine, potassium, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12.,” explains Ms O’Donovan.

The Department of Health’s Food Pyramid recommends three servings from the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group each day as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Between the ages of 9-18 years, 5 servings per day are recommended due to the increased calcium requirements at this life stage. Examples of one serving include a 200ml glass of milk, 125ml yogurt and a 25g (matchbox size piece) cheddar cheese.

Moo Crew also helps children to learn about where food comes from: “from farm to fridge.”   This year’s Moo Crew initiative included a new lesson plan on the history of cheese and cheese making, supported as part of Cheese Up Your Life! - a programme financed with aid from the European Union to showcase the quality and versatility of cheese and how easily it can be incorporated into our lives.

COUNTY WINNERS ANNOUNCED

County winners have also been announced in the National Dairy Council’s competition at Junior and Senior level, who each won a sports equipment pack for their school.  The 2016 county winners are:

COUNTY WINNERS 2016– JUNIOR CATEGORY (Junior Infants – 2^nd Class)

COUNTY WINNERS 2016 – SENIOR CATEGORY (3^rd-6^th Class)