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Most, but not all, elementary Utah schools are trying to take the sweet tooth out of rewarding good students.
The health department has created the Gold Medal School program to try and entice good behavior without sugar.
Participating schools implement things like walking programs for the children and wellness activities for the staff. They're also encouraged to reward children's good behavior with something other than food.
Gold Medal spokeswoman Julie Palmer said, "The students actually prefer the yo-yos and the pencils in place of the candy."
Palmer said the idea is to trim down the obesity.
"Summit, and Wasatch and Tooele, they have 100 percent of their schools on board," she said. That compares to 72 percent participation in Salt Lake County.
Along with getting healthier, participating schools can earn up to $1,500 for nutrition resources, PE equipment and tobacco prevention.
E-mail: tcallan@ksl.com
