South Coast schools offer food for thought

By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ]One semester into a new food program, teachers and administrators at Pescadero schools have noticed a change for the better in the classroom atmosphere.

The La Honda-Pescadero School District adopted new menus at its four South Coast facilities at the beginning of this school year. The idea is to buy organic, locally grown foods in season and to cut out processed and frozen ones. Now, four months later, parents, educators and students, some initially worried the new food program would be hard to swallow, have reported it more than palatable.

Pescadero High School Principal Amy Wooliever, a 17-year employee of the school district, says the “radical shift” from chicken nuggets to carrot sticks was an adjustment for students but now “raises morale at the school, for sure.”

Students at the high school seem more upbeat, a change Wooliever attributes to eating healthy food. Though she couldn’t produce any quantifiable evidence of student improvement — such as a higher overall grade-point average or fewer referrals to her office — Wooliever notes “a calmness” in the students, and she’s not alone.

Last year, senior English teacher Randy Vail recalled, students in his class after lunch “had the attention spans of houseflies on crack.”

“That made for a very untenable instruction scenario,” Vail said. “The two things I’ve noticed (are that) they’re normal and they have functional brains. They’re not high on sugar. They’re attentive.”

Teens aren’t the only ones avoiding food comas and exhibiting sharper focus; so are children in Carol Williams’ class at the preschool within La Honda Elementary. With more than 20 years of teaching experience under her belt, Williams says she’s come to expect a certain amount of rambunctious behavior among her students, but it’s different this semester.

“They’re able to sit at the table longer and do a little bit more work,” she said. “They’re a little more grounded.”

Williams credits nutrition as a sure source of the more positive attitudes she’s noticed this year and anticipates greater progress for her students in the future if they continue eating their vegetables.

“Healthy eating and active living” is a sentiment the state Department of Education has been pushing on schools for years, says Carol Chase, a nutrition education administrator for the state.

“In terms of the menus themselves, there are some nutrition standards that California is trying to make healthier than USDA requirements,” Chase said. “It’s a tool for a school district to improve the overall school environment.”

The district finished retooling the high school kitchen Monday, and, Tuesday, students were served their first cooked meal of the year: “Chicken enchilada casserole with mixed greens.”

The daily availability of hearty and healthy menu items has changed things at Pescadero High School, senior Hayley Strohm said. She used to skip on last year’s calorie-heavy meals, but now lunch is one of her favorite parts of the day.

“I definitely feel better and I do have more energy, and it’s nice when I’m in after-school programs like basketball,” she said. “It’s nice to see that our school is promoting a healthier lifestyle because even if kids don’t realize they’re eating healthier, they are.”