By Liz Sawyer, reporter, Waterford Kettering High School newspaper
When I first heard about Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to end childhood obesity, I thought that it was a honorable effort on her behalf, but that it would be a futile attempt to try to introduce healthier meals in schools. Adults think that adolescents are extremely stubborn about what they consume throughout the day, and in many cases, they are. I’m a senior in high school, and must admit that even I have a limited palate, so the likelihood of getting kindergarteners to try new fruits and vegetables seemed slim to none.
But I was mistaken. Yesterday, Audrey Rowe, Deputy Administrator for Special Nutrition Programs for the USDA visited Waterford Village Elementary School. She was presented with some of their new initiatives to improve nutrition. The students at Village started their own vegetable garden on school grounds and plan to incorporate those crops into their daily meals. In addition to the garden, these students receive free vegetables weekly and are actually excited to try new healthy snacks. I was nothing short of surprised when the children lined up for the salad bar, and immediately wished that we had one available to us at the secondary level.
Some of the students I spoke with yesterday said that after being exposed to more vegetables on a daily basis, they wanted to continue eating them at home. Now I was in absolute shock. If this trend continues in the elementary schools, maybe the older students will begin to eat more than just macaroni and cheese and pizza for lunch. We should all take a lesson from Village.
FNS Deputy Administrator for Special Nutrition Programs Audrey Rowe with a student serving beverages during lunch
at Waterford Elementary School.
