Last month, Maggie gave us the scoop on Ashton Kutcher's new role ... as the assistant coach for a freshman football team. And now, Ashton himself is speaking up about the experience.

Basically, he loves it. On his MySpace Celebrity blog, he talks about how his team has a winning record (4-2), saying his team is "a great group of individuals that understand that the collective force is greater than any individual can ever be."

He also talks a little about why he started coaching. While he always wanted to do it, he admits that he didn't do it earlier for several reasons: "I was afraid of the time commitment. I was afraid that I would look stupid. I was afraid that the players wouldn't listen to my football advice. I was afraid that the advice that I gave wouldn't be very good."

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Dakota Fanning has gone from a cutie-patutie little girl to a seemingly grounded young lady, with every stage being caught on camera, making it easy to forget that she's also just a 14-year-old girl. And, just like many 14-year-old girls, Dakota is taking advantage of the extracurricular sports at her high school in Studio City, California.

She's used to everyone cheering for her films, but now, she's cheering on her football team as a Vikings cheerleader. And while I have no idea whether Dakota's cheer squad is super athletic and competitive or more into hair and nails, it's still great to see a young star taking advantage of school sports.

Of course, maybe she's just getting experience -- aren't we about due for another installment of Bring It On?

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With a kindergartner in the family, we officially entered the realm of elementary school this fall. Though I couldn't be happier with the school we chose for our daughter, I couldn't help be feel disappointed when the first school lunch menu came home. It read like the school lunch menus I used to bring home, all those years ago: hot dog, pizza, meat gravy, chicken nuggets, repeat. I was really hoping for something more nutritious.

My kids will carry their lunches, so problem solved for us. But for far too many school children who depend on free and reduced lunch, these kinds of meals are their only option. My daughter's school is currently running a survey to improve their school lunch menu, and I'm hoping for a positive change. Maybe we can look to some of America's healthiest schools for inspiration.

Take the winner, West Babylon Senior High in New York. They've completely revamped their cafeteria to include a lighter lunch menu, lost their fryers and replaced them with high-tech ovens, and open their cafeteria back up after school for kids who are participating in extra-curricular activities. There's a school-wide commitment to fitness, and P.E. classes focus on making exercise fun and accessible. Even school fundraisers include healthy foods ... no candy! There are several other schools highlighted by CNN, so if you're looking for ways to make your own child's school healthier, look no farther than these inspiring schools.

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Parents are always trying to get their teens to eat healthfully, serving them healthy breakfasts and dinners as often as they can. But what about the hours in between? It's during those times, which typically fall around the normal school lunch period, that many kids make their own dietary choices. And, as a recent CDC study discovered, most high schools aren't offering the type of healthy choices you are at home.

A CDC study of 36 states found that in some states, it's very easy for teens to get unhealthy junk food both in their lunch lines or throughout the day in vending machines.

Amazingly, this is actually an improvement over recent years. In a related study, the percentage of high schools selling junk food during lunch periods dropped from 53 percent in 2004 to about 37 percent in 2006. However, there was not any change in the percentage of high schools selling junk food during non lunchtime hours, such as candy in vending machines or in the school store.

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Two years ago celebrity chef Jamie Oliver made a big effort to improve the nutritional value of school lunches in the UK. In fact, I remember seeing a TV show where he visited schools and worked with cafeteria workers to help them change their menus. He helped them include healthier options that could easily be made for a large number of people and still kept costs down.

Two years later, his efforts are either a failure or a relative success... it just depends who you talk to. With only 37% of secondary students and 43.6% of primary students eating school food, the healthier menu is falling quite short of government goals to have at least 50% of all students eating at school. Secondary students in particular just aren't proving to be fans of the healthier fare.

But the younger students are slowly but surely coming around. The number of students who buy school lunch has recently risen 2.3% -- the first increase since junk food was banned in 2006. Oliver states that he thought it would take 10 years to really see results and he says that a "corner has been turned."

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File this one under the "When I was your age" category. Kids in Canada are getting some cold, hard incentive to stay smoke-free through high school. A new program is launching alongside their National Non-Smoking Week which is aptly named R.E.W.A.R.D.S. -- Rewarding Everyone Who Acts Responsibly and Doesn't Smoke.

They literally want to pay children to not light up. The payoff? Five thousand dollars at the end of 12th Grade! To keep them honest, a contract must be signed and four sponsors found to help pony up the cash. The students being offered this deal are currently in grades 5-8.

This is quite a movement to encourage healthy lifestyles. The group is reaching for the stars, hoping to sign up 100,000 youngsters. It will be interesting to see how many kids take the bait, but hopefully it becomes an effective program. I know I would jump at the chance to stay smoke-free if I were that age! Do you think something like this would work in the US?

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There has obviously been an increase in teen pregnancies lately, but here's a concept that is sure to stir the pot. High school girls in Denver who are slated to become new mothers are asking the school district for maternity leave in order to heal and bond. They're hoping to get at least four weeks out of the request.

Keep in mind that Denver has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates. To put it in perspective, they even have a special school for new moms and mothers-to-be. However, that school has a waiting list. So now these girls are looking for leave to avoid unexcused absences. Otherwise, they would be required to get back in the classroom the day after hospital discharge.

Should the school district work with the girls and give them maternity leave? Or would that encourage teen pregnancies, so just require attendance as usual? It's a controversial topic with no easy answer. You can see where the girls are coming from, because the body does need to recover after giving birth. On the flip side, four weeks is a long time to miss school, especially for a district with so many of these cases.

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Vending machines seem to be lurking around every corner, tempting us with their quick, convenient snacks. Even I, a self-professed junk food hater, fall prey to them every now and then. They're a dangerous thing when you're hungry and a long walk from the nearest cafe.

But you know what institution has the most vending machines? Schools. According to this article, 98% of high schools have vending machines, compared with 90% of middle schools and 43% of elementary schools. Now, if that's not bad marketing directed at kids, I don't know what is. I know that in my high school, the vending machine was a way of raising funds, but I think schools should find a better way to do this.

What's your take on the dreaded vending machine?

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If you have a teenager in your home, he or she is probably sleeping right now. Teenagers have unique sleep habits -- staying awake until their parents are just thinking of rousing, and then sleeping much of the day away. Research points to a new surge of growth hormone that causes this shift in the sleep/wake cycle.

Sleep is especially important to teens as they go through this secondary growth spurt. But early morning high school hours conflict with teenagers natural biorhythms. To cope, your child may be tempted to drink a high caffeine cola to stay alert.

This article points to a link between caffeine intake in teenagers and subsequent sleep disruption. Children who drank soda during the day tossed and turned more at night and were more fatigued during the day than their peers. Many schools have eliminated their soft drink machines as part of the battle on obesity, but it seems there's another reason for teenagers to avoid sugary sodas.

What about you? Do you have a teenager? If so, leave a comment and share some tips on helping young adults get enough sleep.

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