too cool for school

“Okay team, we want to fund our trip to Florida, well we’re going to need to have a fund raiser. And what do people like most? Well, that’d be good food, so let’s sell five pound tubs of cookie dough or something to do with pizza- who could resist that?!” I’m sure this, although somewhat dramatized, conversation sounds familiar to any one who has been apart of some type of extra curricular activity in school. Even coming from a well-off community, it seemed like there were always fund raisers going on, and all of them were dominated by food.

In Montgomery County, Washington they are examining this issue and trying to find alternatives for the students. The report done on the twenty-four elementary schools and six middle and high schools was to eventually help strengthen their policies on food and beverage marketing.

Kathy Lazor, director of food and nutrition for Montgomery schools, said, “that a new vending contract calls for contractors to replace images of corporate logos, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, with pictures of healthful foods or of people engaged in activities that boost fitness, such as biking and walking.”

Impressionable teens, even subconsciously will be influenced by the “healthiness” of what they’re seeing, instead of images of fatty candy bars and soda. They found that there were twenty-one vending machines in the high schools and although they offered mostly water, there was still pop and juices. The food was the typical candy, cookies, and chips. In my high school alone there were six vending machines, three of which were in the cafeteria. I know that they did offer water, granola bars, and powerade, but who wants to eat that when you can have a diet coke and pretzels? But that all seems very contrasting when they decided that pop would no longer be sold in the cafeteria lines, instead you would need to walk the additional twenty feet to the Coke machine to get your fix.

“School fund raisers at McDonald’s restaurants have teachers serving Big Macs and Quarter Pounders to their students,” and in at “least four elementary schools, in which teachers gave certificates to students who met reading goals, the certificates entitled students to a free personal-size pizza.”

Of course a student will be more enticed to do well when they have a pizza coming there way instead of an apple, but that shows that teachers are placing the importance on the wrong thing. They should be encouraging their students to read well because they need to, not just bribe them with a whole pizza- to themselves. To an elementary student, a gold star sticker and praise for their good work is more of a self-esteem boost than anything else would be. Don’t get me wrong, a bake sell of cookies every once in a while isn’t going to hurt anyone, and a night out at a restaurant where some of the profits go to the school is a great idea, but when these ideas turn into constant unhealthy Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and McDonalds pushes then its time to rethink what your saying to kids. Return to the good old car washes, or precut fruit cups, or even the selling of flowers for young lovers to show their affection.

Washington Post

“Study looks at schools’ Food Values”

By: Lori Aratani

Feb. 14, 2008. Viewed Feb. 16, 2008

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/13/AR2008021301855.html

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