Success Stories

Nutrition Education and Cooking

After learning about fruit and making fruit kabobs in class, one 4th grade student at Tacony Academy Charter School went home and told her mother about the delicious kabobs.  The mom loved the idea and made the recipe as a healthy appetizer for a party she was having.

One high school student told his nutrition educator that he appreciated the cooking club lessons and learning how to make simple, healthy recipes.  He stated, “I’m taking these recipes with me so that I can cook healthy foods when I go away to college next year.”

Weeks after making an Apple Chicken recipe in class, one student told her educator that she helped her mother make a holiday meal and made this recipe.  The whole family loved it!

The mother of an elementary school student told a nutrition educator after getting nutrition lessons, “My daughter came home one day and all of a sudden wanted raw broccoli.  She ate it for a week straight! I now get it every week and we eat it as a snack.”  

When asked to submit a favorite memory for the school yearbook, the most popular response from the 10th grade students was “cooking with our nutrition educator!”

Physical Activity

After working with a group of 3rd graders for about 30 minutes, it was obvious that they needed a break. I decided to incorporate a quick movement break.  The students and teacher all got involved and had fun!  After seeing how easy it was to do and the effect on the students, the teacher stated that she would start using more of these breaks during the school day!

We did a step challenge and Eat Right Philly provided the pedometers. While it was a tough challenge to do for the students, those students who did complete the challenge made some awesome changes. Thank you Eat Right Philly for helping out with that idea!

Hydration

Before the holiday break, one nutrition educator conducted a “Rethink Your Drink” lesson with a high school class.  After the break, she asked the students if any of them had tried to cut back on sweetened beverages and drink more water.  About  50% of the class raised their hands saying that they were making the effort to drink more water and less sugar sweetened beverages.

Students have been seen using EAT RIGHT PHILLY reusable water bottles to fill at hydration stations throughout the year!!!

Water Promotion at Walter B. Saul High School

In collaboration with the Environmental Science teacher, Drexel’s ERP nutrition educator, Alyssa Kalter, worked with a group of Senior students to promote proper hydration to fellow students.  After teaching students about healthy hydration and environmental impacts of hydration options, the students created a video entitled “Better Planet, Better Kidneys. Better You.” The students then visited each advisory class to show the video, educating fellow students on healthy hydration and environmental impacts of hydration choices.

All students in the schools were given a reusable water bottle provided by EAT RIGHT PHILLY. The presentation was so well accepted that the group was invited to attend the Philadelphia Water Department’s opening event of the City Water Bar, encouraging Philadelphia residents to drink Philly tap water.

Fresh Fruit and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Students at the Morton McMichael School enjoyed sampling a variety of fruits and vegetables through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).  Drexel’s EAT RIGHT PHILLY educator, Alyssa Kalter created a bulletin board calendar which was updated monthly to reflect the fresh fruits and vegetables that the school would be receiving. In addition, Alyssa connected nutrition topics to the FFVP offerings during classroom lessons. 

Some months, the FFVP samplings were similar to the food tasting samples she provided. In these instances, she led students in a taste test to compare and contrast items they were getting. Alyssa taught students to do a sensory comparison of two similar fruits or vegetables. She also provided teachers with rating forms and vocabulary words related to the food tastings. Teachers used these tools with students to conduct additional sensory evaluations throughout the year. 

Gardening

At Kensington CAPA High School, students in the Environmental Science class planted a kitchen scraps garden and monitored the plants’ growth through the end of the school year.  Students began the project by collecting vegetable scraps from students and staff. They watched tutorial videos to learn how to plant the various scraps, filled an aquarium with potting soil, and planted, watered, and cared for their plants. Celery bottoms, carrot tops, potato eyes, and garlic cloves worked best. 

Because this kitchen scraps garden was planted in the spring, students were not able to see the plants grow through the season until harvest, but the project was still a success. Students were amazed to see their scraps grow into new plants!

Food Pantry at Locke

In collaboration with the People’s Emergency Center, Philadbundance, the Promise Neighborhood, the Mayor’s Office of Education Community School Program, Drexel University’s EAT RIGHT PHILLY team, and school staff and students, Alain Locke Elementary began a weekly food cupboard in January 2019. Under the direction of Pam Evans, the Community Schools Coordinator, this food cupboard team works together to provide neighborhood residents with food and fresh produce. Food is donated from local grocery stores and Philabundance provides fresh produce.

In order to engage students, the EAT RIGHT PHILLY educator and Laura Crandall from the Mayor’s Office of Education collaborated to identify and train students to conduct a healthy recipe demonstration during the food cupboard.  Six students have been trained and each week, they lead a healthy cooking demonstration, and distribute food samples and nutrition information to participants. About 20 to 30 families attend the food cupboard in any week. 

We’d love to hear any other ideas for supporting the
Student and Staff Wellness Policy.