To Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School,
Since graduating from Saint Stephen’s two years ago there have been many times when I have sat with friends and looked back on our time spent there, and almost always “cookie break” is brought up. It was everyone’s favorite part of the day, a Saint Stephen’s tradition. After you shoved your way past the mob of people standing in front of the counter, for one dollar you are given a grease spotted paper bag that holds the warmest, gooiest chocolate chip cookie you have ever set your eyes on. So you buy another and maybe another. Oh and it’s Wednesday so they are selling Nutella filled crepes in the French room, you better grab one of those. Don’t forget to stop by the vending machine and grab a soda to wash it all down. All of this and you still have a lunch provided by Chick-fil-A waiting for you. And this is the problem and the reason why I am writing you. Childhood obesity and diabetes are rocketing to scary heights and schools need to help change the way that kids eat. It won’t be easy but if steps are taken like incorporating lessons on nutrition, growing school-wide gardens, and switching out junk food with something more nourishing then we will see results that far outweigh any material cost. Educating students on nutrition will instill lifelong eating habits that they will pass on to their own families making for a strong, healthy America.
Along with English and math, schools need to educate students on what is healthy to eat. This can be fun and creative like turning a math lesson into a cooking lesson. The students learn about fractions and how to measure as well as basic cooking skills. Then they can take these new skills and maybe become inspired to cook more meals at home instead of ordering a pizza. People learn better if they can apply what they are being taught to real life, so not only will including cooking and nutrition in lessons help students encourage be healthy but it might also help them get a better grasp of their core subjects.
To expand on food education, another great, hands-on way to educate kids about nutrition is to grow a garden. This way they can learn where food comes from and be exposed to foods that they would not normally eat at home. Not a lot of people have eaten something that came straight from the plant and kids should know what something fresh and natural tastes like. Growing a garden can also teach about the environment, hard work, and how to care for something which can translate to what they put in their own bodies.
Probably the most important, and most costly, step that needs to be taken is switching out the junk food with nutritious food. One way to do this is to invest in healthy vending machines. Gary Hirschberg of Stonyfield Farm did just that when he devised a vending machine that stocks healthy snacks: yogurt smoothies, fruit leathers and whole-wheat pretzels (http://www.newsweek.com/id/56375). Not only will kids be eating more satisfying food but also they won’t experience the sugar high and crash that can interfere with their academic performance and behavior in the classroom.
Kids spend more of their waking time at school then they do with their parents. This is why it is so important for schools to take a stand and do what is in their students a best interest. This can be done if we include lessons on healthy food, provide hands-on experience such as growing a garden, and changing out regular vending machine chips and candy with healthier options. If actions are taken to add nutritional education to the curriculum then we will see a vast improvement in the nation’s health that will continue far after we are gone.
