nutrition

Hull Public Schools Partner with Whitsons Culinary Group for New Dining Program Focused on Nutrition

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Hull Public Schools
Michael F. Devine, Superintendent
180 Harborview Road
Hull, MA 02045

For Immediate Release

Monday, Aug. 20, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Hull Public Schools Partner with Whitsons Culinary Group for New Dining Program Focused on Nutrition

HULL — Superintendent Michael Devine is pleased to announce that Hull Public Schools has partnered with Whitsons Culinary Group to provide students with nutritious breakfasts and lunches this year.

Whitsons has designed custom menus and nutrition education programs to meet the needs of Hull students, faculty and staff at each of the schools in the district.

“We’re excited to integrate Whitsons into the district to support our mission of helping children eat and learn to enjoy healthy foods,” Superintendent Devine said. “We recognize that students can often be selective in what they want for lunch and breakfast, but we are confident that everyone will be able to find something they love on the menu.”

At the Jacobs Elementary School, students will be able to choose from a variety of daily offerings, including hot entrées (which feature whole grain pasta, buns and pizza crusts, along with brown rice), garden salads, fresh bagels and artisan deli sandwiches. A la carte offerings will also be available, like fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt and other nutritious snacks.

Additionally, to motivate children to choose nutritional meals and develop lifelong healthy eating habits, Whitsons’ Nutrition Safari program will incorporate lovable animal characters that will help teach students about well-balanced diets. Luke the lion offers these words of wisdom: the ‘mane’ course is your protein source, while Jillian the giraffe encourages everyone to reach for their greens.

At Memorial Middle School and Hull High School, Whitsons’ menus will offer a variety of delicious and diverse entree choices — from a simple bowl of soup to an elaborate home cooked meal — that will change throughout the year to reflect the freshest seasonal ingredients.

The cafeteria will also take on a new look, featuring food-court style stations, where students can pick and choose from different areas and cuisines. At the Coyote Grill, children can grab southwestern specialties like tacos, burritos and quesadillas, while the Frait Express will have fresh, daily made sandwiches and salads. La Cucina will boast pizza and stuffed breads and Healthy Harvest is loaded with fruit, grains and a veggie bar.

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Oyster River Fifth Grade Students Learn about the Importance of Nutrition through Cooking Classes

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Oyster River Cooperative School District
SAU No. 5
Superintendent James Morse
36 Coe Drive
Durham, NH 03824

For Immediate Release

Monday, Dec. 4, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Oyster River Fifth Grade Students Learn about the Importance of Nutrition through Cooking Classes

DURHAM — Principal Jay Richard is pleased to announce that Oyster River Middle School has started a new cooking and nutrition program for its fifth graders.

Led by Oyster River Cooperative School District’s Director of Child Nutrition, Doris Demers and her intern, UNH student Alyssa Lemire, fifth grade students have started to participate in weekly cooking classes that promote healthy eating.

Each class focuses on the New Hampshire Harvest of the Month, a program introduced this year by New Hampshire Farm to School in Durham to promote seasonal eating, healthy diets and the local economy.

The idea for the new cooking program was developed last year when Principal Richards and Demers recognized the need for students to learn the basics of cooking, food safety and nutrition.

“We’re grateful that our students have the opportunity to participate in these classes,” Principal Richard said. “It’s great to see learning go beyond the traditional classroom setting and into the kitchen to help teach students the importance of nutrition and diet.”

Classes typically last around an hour and students are split up into small groups to complete a recipe together. Based on the recipe, students are given jobs such as chopping, measuring or mixing. With each cooking class, Demers and Lemire teach lessons around food and knife safety, kitchen sanitation, cooking techniques and healthy eating habits.

“The students have been loving the cooking classes,” Demers said. “One of my favorite memories was watching a child who insisted he didn’t eat vegetables go up for his second helping of the Broccoli and Cauliflower Ribbon Salad that he made that day. It’s so fun to receive emails from students and parents who have brought the class recipes home to try out with family.”

To accommodate the 172 fifth graders of Oyster River Middle School, Demers and Lemire rotate small groups throughout the program. They meet with one group three times a month before moving onto another group the next month.

For more information about the cooking classes, please visit Oyster River’s Child Nutrition Facebook page. To learn more about New Hampshire’s Harvest of the Month, please visit the website.

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