The Healthy Snack Master Competition was identified by the Healthy for Life Action Team as a program that, when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in healthy food consumption as well as weight status in our community.

The audience for this strategy is the community at large. This strategy aims to make a difference at the individual level-- increasing knowledge and influence on individual attitudes and beliefs towards health. Implementation will take place community-wide in Jackson County

The Healthy Snack Master Competition is sponsored by the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and is open to all individuals or groups (i.e. classes, afterschool programs, clubs, etc.) in K-12th grade in Jackson County Public Schools. Students are encouraged to create an original recipe and turn it in to their school's cafeteria manager. Submitted recipes are reviewed by members of SHAC. The top student and group entries go on to compete in the Healthy Snack Master Competition. A panel of judges determines the winning healthy snack based on taste, appearance, healthfulness, and creativity. Superlatives are also awarded for the Best Bite, People's Choice, and Most Creative Name.

The partners for the Healthy Snack Master Competition include:

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of Healthy Snack Master Competition through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Healthy Snack Master Competition: 

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success
  • Evaluate the number of participants annually, as well as determine the best space for the program since we are trying different locations​​​​​​
• Communicate and engage diverse community leaders and organizations
  • Recruit judges from different areas of the local government and local organizations to keep the program changing and fresh
• Increase community awareness on healthy nutrition for children and demonstrate the value of the program to the public
  • Use local media outlets to promote healthy nutrition for children, promote the program, and show program success at the conclusion of the event

2020 Updates

Jackson County's 10th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition was scheduled for March 26, 2020 at Smokey Mountain Elementary School.  There were 19 students who submitted their recipes to participate, but unfortunately the event had to be cancelled due to COVID-19.  The event has not been rescheduled because of the size and nature of the event.  We were looking forward to implementing a new electronic judging process with the use of ipads.  We hope to safely host the program again in the future.  

2019 Updates

Jackson County's 9th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition was held at Cullowhee Valley School.  A total of 29 Snack Masters gathered to compete for overall awards and superlatives.

2018 Updates

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Jackson County's 8th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition was held at the Jackson County School of Alternatives.  This year, 15 Snack Masters gathered in the cafeteria to compete with their healthy, creative dishes.

2017 Updates

For the 7th Annual Healthy Snack Master Competition, 10 students participated in the competition. There were Individual and Group winners, with additional superlatives.

Healthy Snack Master Chefs, with the panel of judges, at the 7th Annual Competition.

2016 Updates

The 6th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition received 17 recipe submissions.  After careful review, 12 were selected to participate in the competition.  There were 5 winners selected, who were awarded with cooking kits.