news-record.com

To make sure more students have breakfast, Montlieu Math and Science Academy in High Point recently launched “grab and go” breakfasts.

“The breakfast eaters have increased from 250 to 350 each day,” said Guilford County Schools dietitian Amanda Hester.

Hester and school cafeteria manager Cindy Hood applied for a $500 grant from the Southeast Diary Council. The $500 would enable them to try some additional breakfast foods.

Surveys were sent home to children and parents asking what kids liked to eat for breakfast. The No. 1 food was pancakes.

Parents were asked what factors kept their children from eating at school. Were they getting to school too late for breakfast? Was it the food choices?

Principal Jill Hall contacted school families through Connect-ed messages, a phone system that connects the school with each family.

When the grant was received, Hall held a pep rally to encourage the students to try the new menus. The goal was to increase participation by 50 percent. Hood, the cafeteria manager, said all 460 students at Montlieu are eligible for free breakfast.

Hall said during the first week of serving the new breakfast meals, golden tickets — good for small prizes — were put in some of the bags. The number of prize tickets has decreased, but the children are still eating.

Hester is hopeful the grant money will last until the end of the school year. They started the program in February .

The main goal, Hester says, is to see that the students eat nutritious meals. The menu includes cereal, graham crackers, Snack n Waffles, Pop- T arts, sausage, egg-and-cheese Hot Pockets, super doughnuts, animal crackers, yogurt, pancakes, muffins, sausage biscuits and honey buns. Each bagged breakfast includes a 4-ounce serving of milk or juice.

Two second-graders in the breakfast line told me their favorite food was Pop-T arts. A kindergarten student said she liked the waffles.
Fourth-grader Jonathan Smith said he really like being able to pick up his breakfast bag and take it to class.

Fifth-grader Jordan Smith said her favorite food was pancakes.

“Breakfast is fun,” she said.

Three breakfast sites are set up. One is in the corridor where the buses unload, and another is set up for walkers. The third station is in the cafeteria, where children come from their classrooms and pick up their bags.

Hood is quick to point out that without her five staff members, she could not run the program.

“The cafeteria staff has been instrumental in providing the service to the students,” Hester said. “It is more work to put 350 bags together.”

Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m., and lunch starts at 10:30 a.m. Montlieu also prepares mobile meals for the community every day. Hood said they prepare meals for 150-160 community residents. The meals are delivered by volunteers.

Hood and Hester thought if they could serve nutritious foods the children liked, they would eat.

Hester hopes to apply for another grant next year.

“At the end of this year, we will assess where we are, and what our outcomes are. We would like to expand the program to other schools,” she said.

Studies show that students who eat a nutritious breakfast are likely to improve their performance in the classroom and have reduced behavior problems, according to the Southeast Dairy Council’s web site.

The council reports that nine of the states is serves have students with high rates of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and low physical activities.

For information about the council or for recipes, go to www.southeastdairy.org.

Update

Eric Lanier, featured in the April 11 column “Man restores Tractor for the Fun of It,” has a new e-mail address: elanier2008@hotmail.com.

Contact Kathy Johnson at mjohnson2@triad.rr.com