Orange Beach Elementary School has been named one of 36 schools statewide to receive the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama's Be Healthy School Grant Program.

The program aims to prevent childhood obesity, awarding over $337,000 in grants to grades K through 12 in schools across Alabama.

The grants are used to implement school-based health and wellness programs, emphasizing increased exercise, nutrition, education and parental involvement during the school year. Past programs have used the grant to purchase new physical education equipment, walking tracks and pedometers, school gardens, rock climbing walls, adaptive playground equipment and more.

Each school named in the grant will receive up to $10,000, with more than 17,600 students benefitting from the program. According to a press release, Blue Cross has awarded over $2.9 million in 320 Be Healthy School Grants statewide since 2012, impacting more than 151,000 total students.

Grant recipients for the 2023-24 school year:

Bellingrath Middle School
Blount County Learning Center
Bridgeport Elementary School
Calera Intermediate School
CJ Donald Middle School
Coldwater Elementary School
Collinsville High School Cornerstone Middle School
Douglas High School
Gaylesville School
Greensboro Elementary School
Hale County Middle School
J.E. Terry Elementary School
Jim Pearson Elementary School
John S Jones Elementary School
Kitty Stone Elementary School
Linda Nolen Center
Midtown Elementary School
Monrovia Elementary School
New Brockton Middle School
Odenville Intermediate School
Orange Beach Elementary School
Parrish Elementary/Middle School
Rudd Middle School
Saint Rose Academy
St. Luke's Episcopal School
Stapleton School
Straughn Elementary School
Sumter Central High School
Sylvania High School
Taylorville Primary School
TR Simmons Elementary School
Valley Grande Elementary School
Verbena High School Annex
Woodville School
Zion Chapel