The lowdown on what lunch ladies really know, vanishing chocolate milk supplies, and your kids’ biggest secret — they clean up after themselves!
During a recent lunchtime in the cafeteria at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Golden Valley, Rosemary Frank, otherwise known as “Aunt Po Po,” sits down as a “special guest” for lunch with niece Elia Ittner, a kindergartener. Frank’s tray contains a greens-and-vegetable salad she created herself at the salad bar, fresh melon slices, and a carton of low-fat milk. “I’m surprised about that salad bar,” she says, and adds, “When I was in school, lunch was ‘plop, plop, plop;’ as they thunked the food on your tray. This looks great!” A few tables over, mother Sasha Goftarsh is sharing lunch with her son, Daniel. She says that she usually eats with him on her day off each week, and that she’s been pleasantly surprised. “There are lots of veggies, and I’m happy to see there isn’t a lot of pizza. I think warm food is always better, so he usually eats the cafeteria lunch.”
Salad bars? Parents eating with their kids? Healthful choices? This may not be the picture that comes to mind when you think about the cafeteria during your own school days, but it’s increasingly a typical experience for kids in Minnesota. We recently talked with school principals, parents, students, and school nutrition professionals for this peek into what’s happening in the school cafeteria.
It’s actually pretty nice in there …
Many schools have undergone major cafeteria remodels, and the areas are often pleasant and modern. At Meadowbrook, a large north-facing window lets in streaming light, and in the growing season, kids can see out to their school vegetable garden, which uses compost generated from the school. Kids are served salsa from the garden’s tomato plants, and raw veggies and stir frys made with other vegetables from the school’s harvest.
… But it’s really, really noisy
“It can often be very loud in the cafeteria, but you need to remember that’s how kids relax and blow off steam,” says Allison Bradford, who is the child nutrition programs director for Anoka-Hennepin Schools, and president of the Minnesota School Nutrition Association. “Even if it seems chaotic to you, lunch is one time of day for kids to have a break, let their minds rest, and just refresh and reenergize.”
There are lots of choices …
“Our best kept secret is the big variety of fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Janeen Peterson, registered dietitian and nutrition supervisor for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, who says that every school lunch offers students their choice of at least two servings of fruits and vegetables. “Most parents are surprised by our variety and choices, and they realize there’s no excuse for their kids not to eat right.” A recent School Nutrition Association report showed that nationwide, 98 percent of school districts offer fresh fruits and vegetables, 97 percent offer whole grain foods, and 89 percent offer salad bars or pre-packaged salads.
Stacey Broadway picks celery from the Meadowbrook Elementary School garden.
… But there’s still a lot of waste
Just because healthful food is offered, you can’t make kids eat it. In the Meadowbrook cafeteria, Jack Thierer, a second grader, was munching on an unadorned hamburger while his classmates dug into trays loaded with baby carrots, salad, and bananas. “I HATE vegetables,” he declared, “So I don’t even bother taking them.” And while Jack knows his own tastes well enough not to select food he won’t eat, many schools struggle with overflowing trash and compost bins that are full of untouched items. Some have started an “extras” shelf for all the unopened cartons of milk, uneaten apples, and other food that would otherwise be wasted. Kids who are still hungry are invited to graze in the area, and some schools even package up the unwanted items for delivery to area food shelves.
Time is short
School days are jam-packed, and lunch and recess are just one of many activities that have to be completed before the bell rings at the end of the day. Nancy Pratt, mom of that hamburger-eating Jack Thierer mentioned above, says that the 15 minutes her son is given for lunch posed a challenge when he first started school. “Jack is very social, and I remember many a conversation with him about needing to talk less and eat more.” Now, she says laughingly, “I think he’s mastered the art of eating and talking.”
Goodbye, chocolate milk
Some districts have worked with milk companies to reduce the added sugar in chocolate milk, and some have phased it out altogether. But don’t despair, says Meadowbrook principal Greta Evans-Becker, whose school now offers chocolate milk only on Mondays. “If there isn’t a chocolate option, kids will happily drink the regular milk, and sometimes go back for more. Plus, there’s always a water fountain.”
Help is available
“No one can tell which childen are on free or reduced lunch, since they enter a unique PIN code to receive a meal,” says Evans-Becker, and that system is one that’s replicated throughout the state. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, or if your circumstances change, consider submitting an application right away. Meadowbrook, like many schools, works with a local food shelf for a weekend “backpack” program through which kids can discretely bring food home. “This is so important,” says Bradford, who reports that she has worked with kids in her district, the state’s largest, to help them get access to the weekend food. “Otherwise, they would routinely go from Friday lunch to Monday breakfast without eating anything.”
Lunch ladies rule
The cafeteria staff are sometimes the only people in a school who see your student every day. “They understand that nurturing and helping kids is part of their jobs, and they usually know the name of every student,” says Bradford, who laughingly adds, “the lunch ladies see all and know all!”
You’re invited
“We always ask parents to come in and have a meal with their child and see for themselves,” says Peterson. Just be sure to sign in as a visitor at the office before you head to the cafeteria. Then settle in at the table and start enjoying the scene. In elementary school, classes are usually required to sit together, although you’ll probably notice a “boys’ end” and “girls’ end” at most tables. And yes, there is probably still a “cool kids” table at middle and high schools, although Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, launched National Mix It Up at Lunch Day several years ago, with planned activities to encourage kids to take a new seat in the cafeteria one day a year and get to know one another better.
Your kids can clean up after themselves
Just watch them wash hands nicely before the meal, then separate the compostables from dishes and recyclables, and you might be amazed that these are the same kids who become helpless at dinnertime. “We rotate table-cleaning duties in each class, and everyone is responsible for cleaning up after their own meal,” says Evans-Becker. “We come back and get them if they haven’t done it. If your child isn’t cleaning up at home, it’s time to start.
