One of
the tenants of the whole child philosophy is that…Each student enters school healthy and learns about and practices a
healthy lifestyle with a goal that school supports, promotes, and reinforces healthy eating patterns
and food safety in routine food services and special programming and events for
students and staff. MERSD gets high
marks in the work it is doing to promote and model healthy living and good
nutritional habits.
In February our Food
Service Department was featured in both the Mass
Department of Child Nutrition Outreach Program web spotlight and on the
School Nutrition Association’s online magazine Tray Talk.
From Tray Talk
“Green Team” Helps Bring Fresh
Choices to Massachusetts Cafeteria
Posted on 02/29/2012
At Manchester-Essex Regional Middle
High School, members of the student “Green Team” plant, care for and harvest
vegetables in the school garden. Cafeteria employees use this fresh produce,
including lettuce, kale, tomatoes, eggplant, turnips, and green peppers, in the
salad bar and in many of the made-from-scratch recipes served for lunch, like
the pesto pasta prepared with garden kale instead of basil. Now that students
are involved in raising these healthy choices, they are more willing to select
them in the cafeteria.
Manchester-Essex purchases much of
their fruit from local Massachusetts farmers, and they offer healthy choices,
like yogurt, baby carrots and granola bars, in the cafeteria vending machine
too.
Recycling and compost bins are
located throughout the building to help keep the whole school “green.” The
students and the school work together to create a setting that is healthier for
their bodies and the environment!
_________________
Thank you to Sheila
Parisien and the entire food service staff for the work they do in support of
our children and programs.
