Yearbook 2009 Columbia Public Schools

yearbook 2009 Columbia Public Schools Healthy trends set today Are you smarter than a Columbia Public Schools student? The best and the brightest healthy trends set today Healthy eating Schools tackle nutrition on many fronts nergy in. Energy out. That’s the goal of the guidelines to ensure the best for Columbia’s district’s expansive breakfast and lunch students. There are guidelines from the U.S. program. Department of Education that combine ideas from E Known as Nutrition Services, the food the American Heart Association, the American service program feeds thousands of students a day Cancer Association and the Missouri School Nutrition offering breakfast, lunch and, for some, afternoon Association. These guidelines reflect the U.S. dietary snacks. guidelines that will be upgraded soon, Fullum says. Here are just a few facts from Laina Fullum, A key guideline is that of the U.S. Department Nutrition Services director. Each year the district: of Agriculture, which dictates that one-third of n Serves 1.8 million lunches Recommended Daily Allowances must be provided n Prepares 527,000 breakfasts for lunch and one-fourth Recommended Daily n Hands out 2.5 million cartons of milk and more Allowances for breakfast. than 391,000 cartons of juice Nutrition Services monitors many nutrients such n Sells $1 million of a la carte items as Vitamin A and C, calcium, iron, fiber, cholesterol n Processes 6,300 free or reduced-price lunch and sodium. applicants a year or 35 percent of all lunches To meet requirements, Nutrition Services provides compared to 32 percent a year ago a salad bar daily as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. n Uses 85,800 packages of bread annually Whole grain breads, too, are served, the purpose n Gives students 800,000 bags of baked chips or being to increase the intake of fiber. 10,000 cases A big factor in the meals served is the amount of n Spends $2.5 million on food in a budget of fat. Only 30 percent of calories can come from fat Nutritious treat. $5.8 million which covers labor, supplies and and then only 10 percent from saturated fat. “We’re Summer school student Mary Logue enjoys other factors starting to watch trans fats,” says Fullum. “Not all an ice cream treat served by the Nutrition What is most amazing is that the entire operation vendors have that information, so it’s going to be Services Department for its calcium content. is self-sustaining. No expenses are paid from the hard for us to track it until it’s mandatory for them to district’s general operating funds, says Fullum. “We have that on their labels.” pay all our bills, buy all of our own food out of our For the freshest fruits and vegetables, Fullum is budget. It doesn’t come from general revenue at all.” increasing her effort to purchase locally produced The most important thing is to identify children fruits and vegetables. Known as the Farm to School Nutrition, education and hands-on who may qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. program, the effort is to “increase using local foods. experiences all work together. Doing so helps the child and helps the district It tastes better because it’s local,” she adds. “It hasn’t because many grants are based on the number of had to travel thousands of miles to get to you.” We’re hoping that will be free or reduced-price lunches. Added to the daily food items for every age of the model for lifetime choices. By identifying qualifying students, the district student is a nutrition education program. Nearly received $400,000 more in funding because the free 250 nutrition education classes are held each year Laina Fullum, Nutrition Services director and reduced-price lunch rate went from 32 percent “because it goes hand-in-hand with eating healthy.” to 35 percent. While helping the district’s funding is The one-hour classes are for all grade levels and are important, “feeding kids is the important thing,” she age-appropriate and hands-on. says. “They have to eat to be able to think.” Nutrition, education and hands-on experiences all The district is constantly fine-tuning menus to give work together, Fullum says. “We’re hoping that will be students the most nutritious meals possible. the model for lifetime choices.” Nutrition Services follows many nutrition Columbia Public Schools 1 highlights New curriculum this fall Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools Health education keeps up with the times have been ranked among the top 1500 high schools in the country by hange is coming to the district’s health curriculum. “We’re going to be focusing on what it is to be a healthy Newsweek. The publication ranks This fall new curriculum will be introduced to person in today’s society and to help them with that.” schools based on the number of secondary-level students. The new focus on health is a result of many trends among Advanced Placement, International The change is primarily for ninth-grade students students today. While health currently is taught in the middle- Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge C tests taken by all students at a school who must take a health class to graduate. grade physical education curriculum, beginning this fall a in 2008 divided by the number In addition to new curriculum for ninth graders, a separate separate health class will be taught. of graduating seniors. Hickman health class will be offered to middle level grades—sixth, “We know that kids at this level are not getting the health ranked 1,296 and Rock Bridge ranked seventh and eighth grades. Currently the information is education they need and deserve,” says Torres. “We have 1,201 out of more than 27,000 high shared in science classes, but the new approach would offer a obesity, we have sexual activity. Students make poor choices schools nationwide. specific health class for the middle grades. with drugs and safety.” Now “we’re going to focus on these “There’s a lot of change on the way, but it’s positive things,” she adds. The curriculum will also focus on body Hickman High School student Jessy change,” says Sara Torres, secondary health coordinator. The systems—how they interact. Hwang was selected a Presidential new curriculum is the result of a great deal of community Research shows that middle Scholar. A total of seven district input, Torres says. “Health research is constantly changing school students need this students were nominated for and improving,” she says. “It’s necessary for our teachers information, Torres says. “They the award. Hickman High School candidates include: Vellore Adithi, to know the latest health information. By working with the need to know how to take care Benjamin Atkins, Ashok Cutkosky, Lucy community on developing the curriculum, we have grown our of themselves and make those Fang, Jessy Hwang and Abby Sun. The capacity to teach our students.” healthy choices. Rock Bridge High School candidate is She says the focus on the new secondary curriculum will be “We’re going to give them the Paul Schnase. Of the 2,600 candidates healthy lifestyles. “That’s going to be the focus—what it really tools to help them do that.” named nationwide, 141 will be named means to live a healthy lifestyle.” “One thing with health is, Presidential Scholars and will travel to She gives the example of learning more than what nutrients it’s constantly changing,” she Washington, D.C. for recognition. are, but “how do you make a healthy meal on a budget? And adds. And keeping up with the what are some good exercises you can do throughout your change are the district’s efforts National Merit Scholarship finalists life?” to teach health to elementary students. At the elementary from Hickman High School are: Vellore Another major component of the course will be safety level, health topics begin in kindergarten and go all the way Adithi, Eric Allen, Benjamin Atkins, Jonathan Chang, Constance Cho, Ashok —“what does it mean to be Internet safe in the world they through fifth grade. Cutkosky, Lucy Feng, Sarah Fritsche, live in?” Safety also is important when it comes to caring for “I really think it is important information for kids to know,” Benjamin Hoffman, Jessica Hwang, children since many of the students often care for younger says Patty Cornell, elementary health coordinator. For grades Joseph Langworthy, Emma Myers, siblings or begin babysitting. kindergarten through second, the physical education teacher Christopher Novosel, Jordan Occena, A final aspect of the new secondary-level curriculum will be teaches health once a week. The classroom teacher teaches Gina Pai, Abby Sun, Katherine Van healthy relationships and human sexuality. Instead of focusing health for third through fifth grades. Second-grade curriculum, Dooren and Charlotte Wesley. Finalists only on diseases, the course will focus on how a student can known as the Organ Trail, “gives a good base for fourth grade from Rock Bridge High School are: have a healthy relationship. when they get into the body systems and put it all together.” Allen Greenlief, Shati Lodhi, David Lopez, Lisa Mao, Sangita Sharma and Brady Still. Learning to give Columbia Public Schools has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement Donated shoes travel for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers around the world Association of the United States and young Jamaican boy or girl is walking in brand new flip- Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive flops, thanks to the efforts of Jefferson Junior High School annual financial report. The certificate is the highest form of recognition in the students.

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