The School District of Palm Beach County, in partnership with Onehealth, UnitedHealthcare, and Wells Fargo, took the expression, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” to a whole new level. During a five week competition, we challenged all district personnel to eat at least one apple every day for the entirety of the event, which started on October 3, 2012.

Apple a Day was designed to encourage healthier lifestyles, focusing on seven specific areas of health and wellness. Each day, personnel took pictures of themselves eating apples or an approved nutritious equivalent (ideally, mid-consumption). Photos were sent via MMS text, e-mail, or via an online form to be recorded and scored.

Each week bonus activities were featured that addressed each of the seven targeted objectives, including passing out apples on Halloween, exercising, and reading health and wellness articles online or in print. By promoting friendly competition and encouraging conscientious healthy eating habits, this event reflected exactly what The District's wellness program is about.

The competition turned out to be too much fun for the students to merely observe, and hundreds joined in! More than one cafeteria reported running out of apples just hours into the challenge. In its first year, this healthy and engaging initiative enjoyed overwhelming support.

Thousands participated, at over 120 locations, submitting over 4,000 of pictures of responsible apple consumption.