Schools set good-eating gold standard

TOPPENISH, Wash. -- What a difference a cracker can make.

Last year Lincoln Elementary School in Toppenish earned a silver HealthierUS School Challenge award for offering more fruits, vegetables and whole wheat in school lunches.

The Lower Valley school would have received a gold award if it weren't for a cracker on its menu that fell short of being 100 percent whole wheat.

"That was it, that one cracker that we served," said Toppenish School District food service Director Renee Miles. "The package on the cracker said 100 percent whole wheat and it wasn't. That was very misleading."

But replacing the cracker with one that is 100 percent wheat made all the difference -- but not just for Lincoln Elementary.

This year, all four of the elementary schools in the Toppenish School District -- Kirkwood, Garfield, Valley View and Lincoln -- received the gold award, the only schools in the state to earn such a mark for going beyond federal health requirements since the national challenge began in 2005.

On Thursday and Friday, officials with the USDA Food and Nutrition Services will present school awards during assemblies in which parents are invited.

In a district where more than 80 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches, good nutrition is essential, said USDA Food and Nutrition Service Regional Administrator Allen Ng in San Francisco.

"It's all the more important that these lunches are there and it's all the more important that they're eating these lunches,"
he said.

The Toppenish School District, which includes a preschool, four elementary schools, a middle school, a high school and an alternative school for grades 7-12, serves about 3,300 students.

Having four schools earn awards speaks volumes about the staffs working in the district's food services, said Superintendent Steve Myers.

"We're not only trying to develop the kids' minds, but we're also trying to give them education in nutrition and physical activity," he said. "We are trying to maximize all kids' potential in the classroom and all the research shows nutrition is a big part of that."

The HealthierUS School Challenge recognizes elementary schools for improvements made in nutrition and promotion of physical activity.

Obesity among young people is a problem almost everywhere, and state lawmakers a few years ago initiated legislation requiring school districts to adopt nutrition improvement programs.

"About a third of the kids in the United States are overweight or obese, so we think our program can make a difference," Ng said. "Having this HealthierUS Challenge makes a difference because it sets a model not just for schools in Washington, but across the country."

In Yakima County alone, 64.4 percent of residents of all ages were classified as either overweight or obese, according to 2006 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

To qualify for a gold, sliver or bronze award in the challenge, schools must meet nutritional and physical requirements set by the federal Food and Nutrition Service.

Schools participating are identified as Team Nutrition schools. There are 321 participating schools in the state alone, and 571 schools nationwide have received awards since the program's inception.

Increasing servings of fruits and vegetables and cutting down on sweets on school menus isn't something recently done at the Toppenish School District, Miles said.

When she arrived at the district five years ago, Pop Tarts, donuts, large cookies and only one choice of fruit were routine menu items, she said.

Five-ounce cookies were reduced to 1 ounce and Rice Krispies cut to a quarter of their previous size, she said.

Before, only peaches were served one day a week. Now, the school menu consists of 13 different fruits, of which three are offered daily.

"I made changes right away," she said.

Physical education classes also pair activities with nutrition, she said.

"I think we're setting a good example," she said.

Awards banquets

* Thursday

Kirkwood Elementary School, 403 S. Juniper St., 9 a.m.

Lincoln Elementary School, 309 N. Alder St., 10:30 a.m.

Garfield Elementary School, 505 Madison Ave., 1:30 p.m.

* Friday

Valley View Elementary School, 515 Zillah Ave., 9:30 a.m.