District Administration - June 2007 - (Page 80)

ProblemSolution CRITICAL EATING SUCCESS STORIES FROM DISTRICTS ACROSS THE NATION A Fresh Way of Looking at School Food By Zach Miners PROBLEM SEVERAL YEARS AGO, STUDENTS in the Burlington (Vt.) School District lived without any real regard for a healthy diet or nutrition. Obesity-related illnesses plagued the 10-school district, and many of its 4,500 students were not getting their daily supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, school oﬃcials came to learn that the few healthy foods served to the students—45 percent of whom received them for free or at reduced prices—were often thrown away. Thus, in the fall of 2003, the Burlington School Food Project (BSFP) was born. SOLUTION The Burlington Food Council was established in 2003 to examine the farm-toschool food system and to improve food, farm and nutrition education in the city. The BSFP was the result of its completed Community Food Assessment, an examination of a range of community food issues and assets. The council adopted a School Food Action Plan—not an oﬃcial policy—based on its ﬁndings so as to keep the school board from being locked into any kind of “ﬁnancial hook,” says district food service director Doug Davis. Farmers cultivate food less than a mile from downtown on the fertile ﬂoodplain of the Winooski River, so Burlington is perfectly positioned to integrate local agricultural resources into school programs. According to the BSFP newsletter, the project is a collaborative eﬀort to connect students and their families with nearby farms to bring more hands-on agriculture education to schools. Its main goals are to expand the capacity for Burlington to 80 June 2007 Students harvest basil at local farms and work with chefs to create and taste test new foods. “This program is a partnership between many groups, and through them we’re seeing amazing results.” —Doug Davis, Burlington (Vt.) School District food service director better meet the food needs of students, encourage healthy food choices for children and their families, and improve district access to food from local farms. Going Out into the Field In September 2005 the Burlington Intervale Community Farm established with the Intervale Foundation a volunteer gleaning program to harvest and distribute hundreds of bunches of basil to make pesto for the school district. Test batches had previously been made at Edmunds Middle School that the students responded favorably to, but not before clearing the initial hurdle of trying something green! Collaborating with the local farms and a team of parent volunteers, ﬁrst- and second-graders from the district harvested the basil. Back at the schools, the students picked the basil leaves from the stems and processed them with garlic, cheeses and juices, ultimately turning out more than 10 gallons of pesto. More student groups from the district were then sent to the farms, ultimately yielding a total of 25 gallons of pesto for the district, which is now served on sandwich bars, pasta and pizza, and has been added to the new cafeteria menu item, “Vermont Minestrone.” The district will send more students back to the farms this fall with the Intervale Foundation to harvest other crops. Taste Tests and Recipe Creation Students from Edmunds and Hunt Middle Schools participate in taste tests on a monthly basis, for which they prepare and serve new recipes with local chefs using local produce. Designed for potential use throughout the district, some of RESOURCES Burlington School Food Project bhsfoodcouncil.googlepages.com Intervale Center www.intervale.org District Administration http://bhsfoodcouncil.googlepages.com http://www.intervale.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2007

Contents
Editor's Letter
Letters
News Update
Security Update
Technology Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
Admistrator Profile
District Profile
Refreshing the ISTE Technology Standards
Action Teams
RE-Construction
Professional Development for the New Century
Multimedia LIT
New Products
Leadership Books
Problem/Solution
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Supervisor's Opinion
Professional Opinion
Research Corner
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - June 2007