Cheshire Medical Center

Local Fifth Grader’s Voice Hits the Airwaves with an Important Message Jingle Contest Finalist Fights Childhood Obesity

Bethany Prince, WKNE, engineered the recording of a jingle written by 10-year old Jonah Siegel. His father Larry Siegel played guitar in the production.

The message is part of a statewide campaign called 5-2-1-0 aimed at changing children’s daily behaviors with an easy-to-remember slogan. Jonah Siegel, age 10, a fifth-grader at Westmoreland School, has now put that slogan to music to make it even more memorable. His original composition was awarded a second place prize in a statewide 5-2-1-0 jingle contest last year sponsored by the Foundation for Healthy Communities. Siegel sings in his catchy folksy jingle “5-2-1-0—It’s a wonderful thing. Makes me want to go out and sing.” Beyond singing, Jonah also plays violin, guitar, and lots of sports at home.

Earlier this month, Monadnock Radio Group opened up its production studio to Siegel to let him record a 30-second version of the jingle with an educational voice over from Steve Hamel, KNE-FM’s morning co-host. The recording also features Jonah’s father Larry Siegel, artistic director of Tricinium and composer of Kaddish, on guitar. The jingle can be heard on all seven Monadnock Radio Groups stations for the next few months: WKNE 103.7 FM, Sunny 97.7 FM, WKBK Talk Radio 1290 AM/104.1FM, Progressive Talk 1490/1220 AM, WINK Country 98.7 FM, Oldies 103.3 FM, and Keene Classics 99.1. An audio file of the jingle can also be heard by clicking here. (mp3 file)

Advocates for Healthy Youth (AFHY), a community coalition of concerned health, fitness, and educational professionals, is championing the statewide 5-2-1-0 program in Cheshire County. The 5-2-1-0 campaign is one of multiple programs AFHY is promoting to reduce childhood obesity in the region through pre-school, after-school, and family programs that address physical activity and nutrition. Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene serves as a coordinating agent for the group. The activities of AFHY will be greatly enhanced this school year as a result of generous support from C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Funds supplied by C&S Wholesale Grocers will help bring the 5-2-1-0 message into more area schools by supporting a sabbatical for Beth Corwin, an AFHY member, and 5-2-1-0 champion. Corwin integrated 5-2-1-0 into Symonds School’s culture as a physical education teacher there and developed a 5-2-1-0 after school program. C&S Wholesale Grocers will also help launch Families in Training (FIT) in the coming academic year, a parent/child weight management program into the workplace.