Health Idol is a competition, started here at Lincoln High School, where students and staff compete to prove who is the healthiest person on campus!  The competition has garnered national attention from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta Georgia to the California Health Centers Association award for Outstanding Nutrtion and FItness Program. For 4 years, the upperclassmen have dominated the competition and a faculty member has held the 2nd place spot. For the last two years, an adult took the title and is now fighting to keep it for a third year in a row.

This year, for the first time ever, 5 alumni will be competing and bumping the number of contestants to 36! This will also be the first year of a bell curve scoring system that will reward outlier performances in the various challenges.  In the end, however, only three contestants will remain to earn the title of Health Idol. Who will rise beyond their rivals and take the title?

1. The program has been awarded by the California School Health Centers Association with the Outstanding Nutrition and Fitness Program Award in Los Angeles. The program also caught the attention of the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia where several students presented the program as the first ever youth presenters at their adolescent health conference.
2. Returning contestants either experienced a significant improvement in their GPA or school involvement.
3. Contestants often beat their personal physical records in consecutive years as they incorporate more exercise and better nutrition in their lives since initially joining the competition.
4. Self-esteem is improved as contestants experience a level of celebrity and new modes of achievement outside the usual avenues in a school community. 
5. Truant students who are accepted in the competition and survive the initial rounds begin to feel connected to the school and greatly improve attendance.
6. There is a heightened sense of support in the school climate as students become invested in the success of their peers and faculty. Contestants also support each other in attempts to prepare for upcoming challenges.
7. Students and staff develop become role models, not only within the school community, but also within their families.
8. Since the program comes out of the school Wellness Center, students who normally do not seek adult support develop relationships with Wellness staff that connect them with caring adults on campus and job opportunities.
9. Many returning contestants leave Lincoln with a continued connection to health and fitness. In many cases, even pursuing careers in the field.