ChildObesity180.org, an initiative of Tufts University, is offering $500,000 in prizes to reward and disseminate innovative school programs that help get children active.

The competition, which is has dubbed the Active School Acceleration Project, is open to teachers and institutions who have come up with fresh ways to get kids moving. More information is at a website created for the purpose.

Deadline for entries is April 2.

When I maybe 12 years old, I talked Donald, the sometimes-shaven caretaker at the synagogue my family attended, to let me take home the leftover challah after Saturday services. It was just a few slices, but they was free, and I wouldn’t have to share them with anyone.

Are you sure it’s OK with your folks, Donald would ask, and of course, I’d assure him it was, just as assuredly that it was not.

I don’t remember how many times he gave me the leftovers, but I remember why he stopped: My mother found a crumb-filled bag under my bed, and the jig was up.

I occasionally check in with writer/dancer/advocate Ragen Chastain, who blogs at danceswithfat.com, even though we have some basic differences. A recent post  headlined, "Why Weight Loss Is Not The Solution," followed up on another entry, "Obesity Is Not The Problem," and both notions fit right into a theme I've been wanting to develop for a while.

A study at the University of Pittsburgh found evidence of binge eating in youngsters, leading its authors to argue that the condition should be accounted for in weight-management programs designed for severely overweight kids.

"Children in the Binge Eating Group were younger and had more depressive, anxiety, and eating-disorder symptoms, and lower self-esteem," the study found.