Delicious Things Are Cropping Up at Brown

**This article appeared in the November 2008 edition of the North Denver News.**

by Linda Lidov

Twenty-five years ago, my 8^th grade friends and I campaigned against the poor quality of school lunch. The typical fare – consisting of a bready cheese sandwich, fries with a splash of ketchup, a white roll and milk – was not nutritionally balanced. The school district meekly justified the food pyramid elements they said were present in the meal. And so the grub stayed the same. As students we felt powerless in this fight.

Here in northwest Denver, the combined efforts of students, parents, teachers, and Denver Public Schools Food Services (called Enterprise Management), have created positive change at Brown International Academy. But it’s about more than the food alone.  From the lunchroom to the backyard and “going green,” this community is a model of influence.

Last year, a wellness committee was formed at Brown to explore opportunities for improved school nutrition and physical activity in concert with DPS’ wellness policies. Parent volunteers quickly set to work. From initiating conversations about an improved school meal environment and integrated school garden, to hosting healthy lunches on track and field day and seeking nutrition education classes for parents and kids, a new excitement has been brewing at Brown.

The wellness committee’s work tied in perfectly with a community garden project that had begun back in 2005. A group of PTO parents envisioned offering the elementary students hands-on experiences to support the learning of science, social and cultural studies, and art while bringing together members of the community to build the garden.

With guidance from the PTO’s planning and funding partner Denver Urban Gardens, ground was broken for the garden in March 2008. It has since produced a bounty of vegetables, and seeds planted in an indoor growing laboratory early in the season will complement gardening activities.

But, with the enthusiastic support of Enterprise Management, there’s been an unexpected new twist in the use of these products: they may soon be featured in lunch menu items - à la pumpkin cranberry bread with garden-grown pumpkins or “fiesta salad” tossed with zucchini and corn.

The debut of locally grown veggies as a side dish will be small-scale, but thanks to the garden’s success, Brown’s principal has her eye on eventually expanding acreage on the east lawn so that more lunches can incorporate fresh garden vegetables. In the meantime, the garden offers an excellent demonstration to kids about where food comes from and how we can help nourish our bodies.

This year, the wellness push continued with initiatives to “go green” by reducing waste and improving recycling programs. Attending events such as the Lean and Green School Symposium and winning a grant from Green Up Our Schools, parents are making it known that Brown is serious about environmental and personal health.

Like the community garden, the go-green effort aligns perfectly with Brown’s International Baccalaureate curriculum, which takes an inclusive approach to activism by involving students directly. Students are learning how human behavior impacts the environment and how they can be part of the solution.

For instance, when Green Up Our Schools’ Waste Assessment program enlisted student help to evaluate trash output, it was discovered that 74 pounds of food are wasted daily. Students followed up by collecting trash from the classrooms, office, and bathrooms, filling one 32-gallon garbage can to the brim and bringing Brown’s total daily wastage to 194 pounds. Students took action and are now recycling 307 pounds of paper and cardboard each week. Plans to further expand the recycling program are under way.

Other lunchroom-related changes have resulted: Reusable utensils have replaced plastic sporks, Styrofoam trays were swapped out for permanent washable ones, and the Waste-Free Lunch campaign promotes the reduction of plastic packaging. These programs complement the school’s recycling of cell phones and printer cartridges, and the transformation of recycled materials into colorful art displays.

<o:p></o:p>All this, combined with a burst of after-school programming that includes sports and running clubs, has helped Brown come around on wellness.

The progress in public schools since I was a kid is encouraging. With the positive energy and action pouring into schools like Brown, there is a clear new consciousness about healthy living. Better lunches are but one example: Alongside the same Sloppy Joes I used to eat, today’s DPS-wide lunch smorgasbord now includes colorful fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as well as a vegetarian option. I look forward to seeing what other savory concoctions are on the horizon.