Success Stories - Teachers & Schools
A Fresh (Fish) Spin on an Old Concept
The school day keeps getting healthier for kids in the Bend-LaPine School District in central Oregon! Building on the concept of Farm to School (connecting farmers to schools), Oregon is implementing an innovative concept called “Boat to School.” This program connects Oregon fishermen and processors with the school cafeteria and classroom so that local seafood is served on the lunch line and students learn about coastal communities.
School Breakfast Top Priority for NJ School District
Harrison School District Superintendent Dr. James Doran is committed to improving the learning environment for children in this small New Jersey town. Part of that commitment was on display during National School Breakfast Week when I visited Lincoln Elementary School with Dr. Doran to see first-hand how schools in Harrison have championed breakfast in the classroom.
Lincoln has more than 600 students who have enjoyed breakfast in the classroom for the past two school years. But this year Dr. Doran expanded the program to include both the middle and high school, ensuring that even more students begin each school day with a nutritious breakfast. The District decided it was best to offer breakfast after the bell to all students because, according to Dr. Doran, “all the research indicates that children who eat breakfast perform better academically and tend to be more attentive.”
Alabama City School System Proactive in Meeting New Meal Standards
Andalusia City Schools were ahead of the curve. Even before they applied for the Healthier U.S. School Challenge (HUSSC) and won a Gold Award of Distinction for their elementary school, Andalusia City Schools were already taking steps towards making nutritional improvements to their meals.
“We have a long standing tradition of excellence and are recognized as a system where performance exceeds expectations,” said Ms. Stephanie Dillard, child nutrition director for Andalusia City Schools. “At Andalusia City Schools we want what is best for all students, and we exceed expectations in our school meals.”
Schools in Andalusia began serving whole wheat breads and romaine lettuce prior to applying for the HUSSC. Additionally, the schools increased their fruit and vegetable offerings, including dark green and dark orange vegetables a few times a week. Students were also already served one percent or skim milk.
Embracing Teachable Moments in Minnesota
School meals are quite often the healthiest, and sometimes the only, meals some children receive. At Sky Oaks Elementary School in Minnesota, we believe that encouraging and empowering our students towards a healthy lifestyle is crucial. Once they understand how fantastic certain foods make them feel, students continue eating them. In turn, we are seeing students encourage and empower their peers, as well as their families, to make healthy choices—what a delightful chain reaction!
Getting children to try new fruits is easy. Veggies prove to be a tough sell, but our veggie consumption sky rocketed when we started roasting them. One trick is to offer a “Sprinkle or Scoop.” It gives me great pride to see how many “scoops” we actually serve now. In fact, while ten pounds of veggies used to last the entire lunch service, today we cut it close when we roast up 75 pounds! It’s amazing when you see your students come to the realization of how delicious fruits and veggies truly are.
Whitley County Schools Proactive in Implementing New Meal Standards
When the Nutrition Standards for School Meals went into effect last year, Whitley County School Food Service in Williamsburg, Ky., was already serving students more healthy meals.
Wyoming School Meals Get Healthier with Stealth Vegetables
A brief chat with Joe DiPrisco will reveal a few things: Serving healthy, appetizing, environmentally-conscious school meals is complicated, he’s very committed to doing that as well as he can, and he appreciates innovative ideas from everywhere.
DiPrisco, the Food Service director in Jackson, Wyoming, came to school food service about 10 years ago, and started re-introducing scratch cooking and increasing vegetables and whole grains right away.
Connecticut School Makes Healthy Meals a Priority
Last year, the principal of our school organized a school garden club for all interested students. With the tremendous work of master gardener Mr. Bill Baxter, and his son and daughter in law, Jesse and Dana Zettergren, the club members have been able to maintain the school garden throughout the summer and into this school year.
We have found that it has been quite easy to tie in the garden club to the lunches that we serve through the National School Lunch Program. We are also testing out new ways to make our school-grown vegetables last longer. We suggest you try:
- Freezing vegetables
- Making pickles
- Using herbs to make herb-flavored oils
- Canning vegetables
- Drying fruit
- Donating excess produce to reduce waste and involve the community in our garden
Using Creativity and Technology To Promote Nutritious Meals in Kansas
Most of us have heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Camera phones, YouTube, and dozens of photo-related apps would seem to support this adage, and I happen to agree as well. That's why I combine nutrition expertise and technology to teach K – 12 students about nutrition and the new school meals.
School Lunch Superhero Day
We all know that getting your young ones to eat a well-balanced meal can be difficult. And for many of our children, the only meal they eat each day that is built of quality nutrition is served in the school cafeteria. In an effort to recognize the school nutrition professionals across the nation who serve our children every school day, the School Nutrition Association is launching School Lunch Superhero Day this Friday, May 3.
Healthy Eating Gets Colorful and Creative in Washington State
This year, the school day just got healthier! Thanks to new and improved school meals, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, cafeterias across the country are cooking and serving up delicoius and nutritious lunches to students. Chris Neal from Buren, Washington, gave us some great tips on how to spice up the cafeteria.
