Junior high embracing new food program

The School District 6 Board last Monday sampled a salad, courtesy of FoodCorps representatives Shari Johnson and Mary Rochelle.

FoodCorps is a national organization that works with communities to connect kids to healthy foods in school. It was founded as a crowd-sourced and community-supported initiative following the 2009 Kennedy Serve America Act, which reauthorized and expanded national service programs, bringing about many volunteerism - related provisions.

FoodCorps programs are separate from the school meal service, though the two do work in tandem when possible.

Rochelle told the board the salad sampling is a common activity at the junior high. It helps kids try new foods.

“If they get to have input, they’re more likely to try it,” she said.

“With Mary’s presence, we’re going gangbusters. We’re creating a culture of health. The teachers are talking, the students are talking, and there are some great conversations going on right now,” Johnson told the board.

Johnson said that Rochelle “hit the ground running,” having already been in 38 different classrooms since starting at the junior high at the beginning of the year.

Rochelle created a food cart and tailor-makes food lessons that integrate with the curriculum of the class. One such class was a sixth-grade social studies class, learning about culture.

“They were doing a lesson on the Song Dynasty in China, and we talked about food as part of culture,” Rochelle said. “We were able to reinforce the vocabulary they were learning and they learned knife skills as well.”

At the end of that lesson, the class enjoyed the fried rice they had made with Rochelle.

Rochelle and Johnson make an effort to work in tandem with the school’s meal service, meeting once a week.

Junior high Principal Dave Wick also addressed the board on the progress the FoodCorps has made and the junior high’s garden.

“The garden wouldn’t be here without Shari,” he said. “She’s a person to be admired. She’s really followed through.”

Rochelle has also recently started a garden and cooking club at the junior high.

“There’s almost too many kids interested, which is a great problem to have,” she told the board.

In other board news:

• High school student representatives filled the board in on recent student council happenings. The school saw 39 donors at a recent blood drive and collected a total of 27 units. The student council received a letter from the Red Cross thanking the students for their polite participants, said student body President Ava Chisholm. The high school is also currently hosting a food drive which has been made into a friendly competitions, Chisholm said, to increase participation.

• Revisions to policies regarding the school year calendar, selection of library materials, visitors to schools, abused and neglected child reporting, and school wellness were adopted unanimously in a single vote following a motion to consider the action items concurrently rather than individually.