Natomas Unified has won a coveted Golden Bell from the California School Boards Association for using the expertise of its Nutrition Services Department in a wide-ranging program that teaches students of all ages about cooking, healthy eating and nutrition.
Through its Golden Bell, CSBA annually highlights “best practices” that promote educational excellence and can be replicated by other school districts or county offices of education. This year’s competition attracted 250 entries in 19 categories.
NUSD’s nutrition outreach program works directly with high school culinary students, campus culinary clubs, and students of all ages through cooking demonstrations, cooking instruction, farm field trips, and by teaching about nutrition, healthy eating, and food-related careers.
“In education, we’re in the business of teaching kids about things they don’t know they love yet,” said Vince Caguin, NUSD Nutrition Services Director. “This is as true of fruits and vegetables as it is for math.”
The purpose of NUSD’s program is to affect students’ lives – and those of their families – for many years to come by teaching them about why healthy foods matter, how to make meals taste better, and what culinary or agricultural career opportunities exist.
Over the past four years, Nutrition Services staff have worked directly with students in numerous events or programs, including:
· Helping to create culinary clubs at three high schools and assisting participating students – and those at Discovery High School’s Culinary Arts pathway – in ways ranging from providing cooking demonstrations to helping implement food-sale fundraisers.
· Helping adult Special Education students learn independent living skills in the district’s central kitchen.
· Taking culinary club members on annual farm field trips to see lettuce, corn and other crops growing in the field, and to learn about farming processes and potential careers in agriculture.
· Providing free farmers market events at seven campuses, primarily at elementary schools, allowing students to choose fruits and vegetables to take home for their families to sample.
· Offering a 10-week, after-school program at Natomas Park Elementary in which students were taught how to prepare simple food items – such as smoothies or taco salads – and then sampled them. Kids also learned about nutrition, sanitation, and physical activity to burn calories.
· Speaking about nutrition and healthy eating in elementary school classrooms. Presenters have included NUSD Nutrition Services staff and Sacramento State University students working with the district in a Dietetic Internship Program.
· Organizing a “Rock Your Socks Off” event that donated a pair of socks to NUSD’s Joey’s Food Locker for every student at H. Allen Hight Elementary or Natomas Middle School who sampled butternut squash that day. A total of 532 students stepped up to try.
· Taking more than 60 students from Two Rivers Elementary and Inderkum High to a California School Nutrition Association conference, where they received training in how to make basic food items, such as salad dressing, and they discussed cafeteria entrees from food manufacturers.
· Partnering with students in Discovery High School’s culinary arts pathway to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for more than 4,000 elementary school students.
· Organizing an annual community Summer Meals Celebration, which last year attracted more than 1,300 people, to mark the conclusion of NUSD’s summertime feeding program.
· Taking groups of young culinary enthusiasts to Ag Day at the state Capitol, where one year they prepared and passed out samples of broccoli Kohlrabi slaw and another year they produced and showcased mango kiwi salsa. They also learned about food-related jobs and career opportunities.
· Introducing students to a new and healthy fruit through a district-wide special event, called a “Crunch Activity,” in which students were given a sticker or pencil as a token prize for sampling a persimmon or opal apple.
· Organizing a district Health and Wellness Fair last March that spotlighted nutrition along with immunizations, health screenings and vision screenings. Booths taught students about food groups, and visitors sampled quinoa grain and learned about creating an edible tower garden.
· Working with culinary club students from three NUSD high schools on two key attractions for the district’s Silver Anniversary Community Celebration: A student salsa-making contest and a barbecue lunch featuring chicken patties, beef patties, grilled asparagus, and three different kinds of salad for nearly 3,000 people.
· Partnering with student cooks to produce entrees or appetizers for various NUSD community events, including a Secondary Schools Showcase, the opening of the district’s B. Teri Burns Health Clinic, and separate events at Inderkum High School and the state Capitol to showcase efforts to buy California or locally grown food for school cafeteria meals.
Rachelle Relador, former president of Inderkum High’s Culinary Club, said NUSD’s Nutrition Services staff went “above and beyond” in helping the club. “Along the way, I learned a lot of useful skills,” she said. “I might not have pursued nutrition, specifically dietetics, at UC Berkeley if I didn’t have such a good experience with them.” Rachelle is a sophomore at UCB.
“What students learn about cooking, nutrition, and culinary careers can benefit them by establishing a lifetime of healthy habits and essential life skills.” said Lisa Kaplan, president of NUSD’s Board of Trustees. “The need for healthy eating is important to all aspects of learning. With instruction coming directly from people within the food industry, it’s hands-on, valuable and powerful. I’m proud that our Nutrition Services program and all its benefits are consistent with our district Vision that all students graduate as college and career ready, productive, responsible, and engaged global citizens.”
