School-wide Whole Grains Challenge

Description

The wellness committee sent parents a letter explaining whole grains and asked for packages/food labels from whole grain foods and created a large hallway collage. Then we had a free whole grains tasting, display, recipes at the annual fair fundraiser.

Impact

This Whole Grain Game On Challenge! which involved all 510 students, 51 staff, and all parents at Norwich Elementary provided an accessible, no cost challenge that educated all, giving examples and benefits of whole grains during March 2009. In addition, having a whole grains tasting during a family fun fair for all on the weekend inserted the topic into an unexpected setting.  The food district food service director, who was involved on the building wellness committee, piloted several whole grains in the lunch menu during the month of March.

The whole grain menu sold so well that the district food service director has incorporated whole grains into all 14 elementary school daily lunches during the 2009-2010 school year.  This school district is just beginning the process of finding projects to help implement and update the wellness policy, and challenges like this help grassroots efforts at the building level advocate for wellness by providing district administrators with examples of activities that can be incorporated into the school day without cost or interruption to academic activities.