June 7, 2011 THIS WEEK Happy June! Where do the months go? It’s almost summer and we are packing in as much as possible. Last week, the First Lady, Secretary Vilsack, and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced the new food icon, MyPlate that replaces MyPyramid. MyPlate gives us a visual reminder to fill half our plate with fruits and vegetables, along with protein, whole grains and dairy. Check out the video. And speaking of veggies, on Friday, one week after the launch of Let’s Move! in Indian Country, Mrs. Obama and American Indian children began the process of planting the “three sisters” – corns, beans and squash – in the White House kitchen garden. This traditional Native American planting technique grows crops in a mutually beneficial manner: the corn provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles; the beans provide the soil with nitrogen that the other plants use; and the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight and preventing weeds. Mrs. Obama and the children also harvested crops in the garden, including lettuces, rhubarb, chard, kohlrabi, sugar snap peas, turnips, broccoli and herbs – some of which will be used in Tuesday’s State Dinner in honor of Chancellor Angela Merkel. ( Check out video of the event.) Remember the Healthier US Schools Challenge? Last week in the Dallas Independent School District, 154 schools received the gold and bronze awards; the greatest number in a single district. Texas leads the country with 228 schools winning the Healthier US Schools Awards: what about your school district? Find out how to make your school a Healthier US School. Until next week, Robin Robin Schepper, Executive Director, Let’s Move!