Ruth Corcoran
(570) 472-0365
Milt Miller, Metz & Associates General Manager and Food Service Director for Altoona Area School District, organized the funding with the district and PA Tracks. The program was then coordinated by Michelle Marker, the Metz & Associates Wellness Coordinator at Altoona Area School District, and was implemented for students in grade K through 2 at Ebner, Juniata, Logan, Penn-Lincoln, Washington-Jefferson and Wright elementary schools. Marker took the curriculum and condensed it for ease of use by teachers and inclusion in their weekly schedules.
“This proved to be a very motivational program that immediately gained the attention of students who enjoyed learning about healthy eating through the stories of Little D’s Nutrition Expedition,” Marker said. “The students at Altoona have developed an amazing knowledge about diet and nutrition through classroom activities and assembly programs, all provided by the grant.”
In this educational and interactive program, Little D is a colorful dragon that is a member of the Royal Food Family Group. Other members of the Royal Food family that students have come to love are Sir Milkford the Scholar, King Henry the Egg, Queen Anna Banana, Princess Peapod and Prince Waffle. Marker took the curriculum provided through the grant and broke it down into half hour lesson plans, which she put together for teachers to implement in the classrooms at Altoona.
For a recent assembly that focused on exercise as an important part of a healthy lifestyle, Metz & Associates designed frisbees for the children with a logo of the Metz School Nutrition Mascot, Commissioner Nutrition, to help promote going outside and being active. According to Marker, Commissioner Nutrition was also on hand at that assembly to talk about exercise and foods that help give you energy, which was a perfect supplement to the Little D lesson plan that day that focused on his increasing energy level through eating the proper foods.
The lesson plans were also reinforced with taste testing assemblies, organized by Marker, where student were able to sample the foods learned about in the various lesson plans, such as whole grain pretzels. Students also learned how those particular foods helped their bodies, such as fruit and fruit juices helping to heal cuts and bruises. “We had comments from parents who were so pleased that, after the program, their children were asking for healthy snacks at home,” Marker said. “Teachers were also pleased with the program and the ease of presenting the half hour educational plans.”
From the introduction of the Royal Food Family at the beginning of the school year to gaining the knowledge to plan their own healthy meals by the end of the school year, the students at Altoona Area School District are now able to classify foods into the five major groups and also identify the health benefits of each group. They know the importance of trying new things and also the importance of getting enough exercise. “Schools are an ideal place for children to learn and practice good nutrition, and the classroom and dining areas are the best places to start,” Marker said. “We really saw the nutrition learning process come full circle with the help of Little D.
Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management to clients such as hospitals, assisted living & long-term care facilities, school districts, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com
