Celebrating School Lunch Heroes
Contributed by Isidora (Isi) L. Muñoz Segovia Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator - Hancock County, and Sandy Fortin Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Coordinator
The SNAP-Ed and Healthy Eating Active Living team at Healthy Acadia is honored to recognize Ellsworth Elementary Middle School Nutrition Professionals on Friday, May 3rd, School Lunch Hero Day!
First-grade students at Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School, planted, grew, and harvested potatoes in the school garden.
Improving health and nutrition at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School has been a longstanding collective effort, marked by numerous internal successes and a history of partnership between the school and Healthy Acadia. We have experienced significant success over the years, particularly in recent months. Specifically, since September 2022, the Healthy Acadia Food Programs Team have collaborated with interested Ellsworth School Staff to promote healthy eating in the cafeteria and garden.
K-4 Art Teacher Martha Baldwin has played a crucial role in the recent successes of food learning experiences and nutrition exposure at the local elementary school. Since she arrived in 2020, she has been dedicated to providing her students with ample opportunities not only to encounter healthy foods through school-wide tastings following the Harvest of the Month calendar but also to actively participate in healthy food systems. This involvement ranges from 1st graders planting, growing, and harvesting their own potatoes to kindergarten students tending to sunflowers in the school garden. Students from various grades visit the garden regularly, and outdoor garden-related activities are integrated into their curriculum. Martha's hard work and passion really shine!
Students at Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School were delighted to sample breaded haddock and meet local fisherman Guilia Cardoso.
In 2022, Baldwin collaborated with Isi Muñoz, Healthy Acadia’s SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator working within the Elementary School. Together, they sprouted new efforts and opportunities to engage students and staff in garden-related activities. In fall 2023, they organized a highly successful apple pressing event in the week leading up to the school's Harvest Fest, as well as during the event itself. They succeeded in generating excitement among numerous students and families about pressing and sampling fresh apple cider, while also educating them about the origins of apples and the rich local history behind Maine's renowned apple diversity.
Branching out of the garden efforts and successes, a team started to form around food and nutrition. Greg Berry, Director of Food Services, brought a lot of resources and a big push to getting the cafeteria staff involved in these efforts as well. With a group effort, it all quickly started to gain momentum and get projects off the ground. Having different expertise has been key to success. Participation in Harvest of the Month, Farm and Sea to School, and School Nutrition Workgroups have provided learning opportunities and additional resources supporting more local foods in the cafeteria.
Greg Berry, Director of Food Services, and Tricia Dyer, Kitchen Manager at Ellsworth High School, have been collaborating with Healthy Acadia through Healthy Eating Active Living Initiatives to encourage healthy eating in their school cafeterias. In January 2024, they participated in a presentation titled "Think Kids Don’t Like Fish" at the Penquis-Downeast School Nutrition Workgroup, where they met Susan Olcutt from the Maine Fishermen's Association. On March 19th of this year, thanks to a generous 200 lbs donation of haddock from the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School organized a school-wide tasting event featuring breaded haddock with a hint of lemon as a protein option. The majority of students were delighted with the tasting, as well as the presence of special guest speaker Giulia Cardoso, a local fisherman based in Bar Harbor, affiliated with Local Lobster MDI.
Please join us in celebrating School Nutrition Professionals on Friday, May 3, 2024 - School Lunch Hero Day!