Even before the alarming rate of childhood obesity began to make headlines across the country, the Mercedes Independent School District was hard at work developing a model school health policy. After more than a year of development by the administration, staff and parents, the policy was approved, and it was stricter than the state policy that would follow it.

Child Nutrition Services Director Cynthia Cardenas played a key role in that effort. In addition to improving school health in general, one of Cardenas' primary concerns was removing competitive foods from the environment -- everything from vending machine snacks to candy and other less nutritious foods being sold by school organizations. Cardenas saw the competition as the main barrier between the kids and a healthy meal at school.

"Children will choose junk food over other food if it's available to them," she said. "It's just human nature."

Cardenas said that it was parents, working through a newly formed Student Health Advisory Council, who ultimately swayed the administration to eliminate competitive food. "I needed other people besides myself saying the same thing. Parents do have a lot of influence, and administrators listen to parents."

All of that hard work has paid off. Not only have the children in the district benefited, but the district has been recognized in a senate proclamation for its efforts to improve school health.

"The most satisfying thing is that we're being recognized for our efforts," said Cardenas. "That's what it's going to take to get other people to recognize how important it is."