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EVEN AT $1.80, lunch at Spotsylvania County high schools is a real deal. A dime increase still leaves them at well below the typical fast-food tab of $4.
But some educator in Florida have taken school lunch programs one step further. Their idea? Why not teach wellness across the curriculum by changing cafeteria menus, removing soda and candy machines, and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices? According to a report in the Sun-Sentinel, 16 schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties have been designated "Schools of Wellness." As part of a $1.5 million grant to combat childhood obesity, students will learn to read food labels, choose exercise over sedentary recreation, and pick out heathy snacks. Fourth- and fifth-graders will receive pedometers to measure their activity levels, and learn to do the calculations in math class. Best of all, teachers and parents will be encouraged to join the get-fit regime, reinforcing the lessons students learn.
Cynthia Hanna, the principal of an elementary school which served as a testing ground for the program last year, admits she was skeptical at first, especially of giving up classroom time for fitness walks. But teachers reported kids were better able to focus after physical exercise, and Ms. Hanna was sold--especially when the school's overall rating on Florida's standardized tests went from C to B.
With nearly a third of U.S. children overweight, it's time to rethink what we're teaching our kids about eating. Talking about nutrition in class while serving high-fructose juice drinks and fat-laden food in the cafeteria (and allowing access to soda and candy machines) is counterproductive. Instead of wringing our hands over childhood obesity, why not take action and model healthy living from the get-go? What do we have to lose?
