| Categories |
À la carte foods and beverages; Use fundraising activities and rewards; Resources used; Adopt marketing techniques to promote healthful choices; Nutrition policies and standards; Establish nutrition standards for competitive foods; Make more healthful foods and beverages available; Influence food and beverage contracts |
| Problem Overview |
- 1,200 students in a small coastal town in southern Maine
- 28 percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals
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| Program/Activity Description |
The department’s five-member nutrition team, which includes the school health coordinator, food services director, school nurse, a teacher, and a parent, attended a Changing the Scene conference in November 2001 and subsequently adopted a school nutrition plan. After the conference, the team met regularly to carry out its work plan and to educate staff, administrators, parents, and students.
The nutrition team worked closely with others who were implementing the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) curriculum in fifth grade classrooms. This curriculum focuses on nutrition, physical activity, and health education. They received several small grants to purchase supplementary nutrition education materials for the existing health curriculum. They also worked with teachers to provide lesson plans and classroom projects.
With unanimous support from administrators and the school health advisory team, the nutrition team drafted a Vending Machine Policy with the Old Orchard Beach Schools' policy committee. The policy was developed after reviewing the sample policies in NASBE’s Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn. Additional guidance was obtained from CDC’s School Health Index and USDA’s Changing the Scene.
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| Program/Activity Outcome |
- After a year and a half of planning and discussion, the Old Orchard Beach School Department gave final approval to a Vending Machine Policy in July 2003.
- As a result of the policy, all soft drinks have been removed from vending machines and replaced by milk, water, and juices. Candy and high-fat snacks have been removed from vending machines and replaced by trail mix, pretzels, granola bars, and cereal/fruit snack mixes. Staff are changing the foods available in the staff rooms.
- In addition, the Old Orchard Beach School Department has improved school à la carte offerings, which now include homemade pretzels, bagels, salads, fruit, yogurt, and string cheese. Larger sizes of low-fat milk have been added to à la carte service and vending machines in the middle and high schools.
- Schools have maintained positive relationships with local vendors, with an agreement to purchase nutritious beverages and snacks only. Vendors did not lose contracts and they continue to supply and service school machines.
- Since the changes were made, income from vending and à la carte sales have stayed the same at the high school and increased at the middle school.
- School health services now measure students’ height and weight in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7, from which they calculate the Body Mass Index. They use the information for statistics and health planning.
- The department has an active nutrition education program that features a variety of special activities. Theme days, such as Fifties Day and International Week, feature celebrations with special foods in the cafeteria, music, costumes, and decorations—all designed to boost the morale of staff and students while using a nutrient-rich menu. Elementary students help plan menus for class projects. High school students work with the food service director on menus and help teach nutrition classes for elementary students.
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| Story Highlights |
Keys to Success:
- Partnerships: Collaboration between health services, school health personnel, and food services staff, along with support from the School Department administration
- Teamwork: Establishing a nutrition team
- Attitude: Fostering a positive attitude toward health by all staff
- Coordination: Being a site for the Healthy Maine Partnerships initiative, which coordinates State and local public health activities, and having a full-time school health coordinator to address issues
Future Plans:
- Continue to expand nutrition education curriculum.
- Add soup, sandwich, and salad options to à la carte sales at the high school.
- Publicize the new vending machine policy in the local community.
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| Words of Wisdom |
"Change is all about communication. We all know in our hearts that healthy children are better learners. We need to give them positive choices and a variety of options in all that we teach in our schools. If we model good nutrition in school and offer good tasty food choices, children will start making good choices at home and become involved in better health practices."
— Jackie Tselikis, School Health Coordinator |
| Program Contact |
Jackie Tselikis |