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Jenia Davis, a 17-year-old senior at Surrattsville High School in Clinton, had never made sweet potato fries from scratch before. But several hours into a cooking class on Tuesday, she was cutting strips of the vegetable like a professional.

Unlike the fried food Davis said her friends sometimes eat too much of, the bright orange mounds of sliced sweet potatoes she and other students at Surrattsville High were preparing would eventually be baked in the oven. Across the room, other students were chopping up fresh greens and garlic cloves to steam in pots of water and olive oil.

Surrattsville High is one of 267 schools and organizations nationwide to receive funding this year from UnitedHealth HEROES, a program that supports projects for young people that promote healthy living. UnitedHealth HEROES is a joint effort by Youth Service America — an international nonprofit organization that supports service among young people — and national healthcare provider UnitedHealthcare to combat childhood obesity.

Camp Fire USA Patuxent Area Council in Bowie was the only other organization in Prince George's County to receive a grant through the program, which is in its second year.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 18 percent of high school-aged young people nationwide are considered obese, and many more are overweight. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, and are at a higher risk of having health problems, such as diabetes.

Once a month, students at Surrattsville High will cook healthy recipes using materials purchased with the $1,000 grant and offer the food to students, staff and the community, according to Kim Carrington, a Surrattsville High parent and substitute teacher.

The monthly sessions will take place during regularly scheduled nutrition and other consumer science classes; however, other students can volunteer to join the lessons and be a part of the service-learning portion of the program.

"We're creating healthy eating habits using the best and freshest ingredients," said Carrington, who secured the grant and is overseeing the cooking program with nutrition teacher Lisa Headley. "They enjoy any kind of hands-on experience, especially when they work with each other."

The sweet potatoes and greens were served during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day program at Surrattsville High held Tuesday night. Other items on the menu in the coming months could include salads, roasted vegetables, and lean proteins, such as chicken and fish.

On Global Youth Service Day, an annual event run by Youth Service America in April, the Surrattsville High students will partner with Stephen Decatur Middle School in Clinton for a day of healthy cooking and outdoor activities.

Brandon Gryde, a spokesman for Youth Service America, said this year's UnitedHealth HEROES projects also include student-run community gardens and fitness programs.

The goal of UnitedHealth HEROES is to help young people understand where their food comes from and how certain foods and activities affect their health, he said, adding those students are often better advocates for healthy living in their community.

Senior Douglas Tyler, 17, of Clinton said he thought cooking would be a good way to get other students excited about volunteering.

"I love to cook," he said. "It's only food that can get people together and get them motivated."

E-mail Zoe Tillman at ztillman@gazette.net.