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Schilling Elementary students ask Newark leaders for fresher school meals and a Miyawaki forest
Summary
A Schilling Elementary teacher and student presented a 116‑signature petition urging the district to provide fresher meal options and to plant a Miyawaki (dense native) forest at the school; Mayor Mike Hannon and several council members agreed to sign the petition during public comment.
During public comment at a Newark City Council meeting, a teacher from Schilling Elementary and the school’s student body president presented a petition calling for healthier, freshly prepared school meals and for a campus Miyawaki forest to replace a high‑water‑use lawn.
Why it matters: The petition links student health, classroom learning and a local climate‑adaptation practice. Petitioners asked city leaders to endorse the school’s plan and help secure support; council members indicated they would sign the petition and encouraged the group to present to the Newark Unified School District board as well.
Teacher S. Patel (identified in the meeting as a science teacher at Schilling Elementary) told council members she previously taught in Berkeley and helped plant the first schoolyard Miyawaki forest there using a method developed by Dr. Akira Miyawaki. Patel described the technique as planting dense, locally indigenous trees in prepared soil so they establish quickly and provide shade, habitat for pollinators and cooling benefits. “These forests not only cool the planet, but they provide birds and butterflies with much‑needed habitat,” Patel said.
Student body president Mila Elizabeth Yapen presented a petition with 116 signatures from students, parents and staff requesting changes to cafeteria offerings. “We have meals such as burritos, pizzas, and pastas,” Yapen said. “I’m not complaining, but these are mostly pre‑made foods that might have preservatives and harmful dyes such as Red 40.” Yapen said the students wanted healthier snack options (trail mix, celery with peanut butter, salads or baked potatoes) and asked whether the district could provide fresh‑made meals at school every day.
Petition and forest plan details: - Petition signatures: 116 students, parents and staff from Schilling Elementary, according to presenters. - Requested food changes: fewer frozen processed entrées, more freshly prepared meals daily, and healthier snack alternatives. - Tree project: presenters said the school will plant a drought‑tolerant Miyawaki forest on the Schilling frontage next fall, replacing a water‑intensive lawn and improving local biodiversity.
Superintendent Picard (identified at the meeting as Newark Unified School District superintendent) thanked the students, noted the district is graduating about 350 students this year and encouraged the group to present to the school board. Mayor Mike Hannon and council members moved to sign the petition on camera and invited the superintendent to join a photo with students and staff.
The council did not take a formal vote or adopt a policy in response to the petition; presenters were encouraged to bring the proposal to the school district board for consideration of meal‑service changes and the planned forest planting.
Ending: Council members asked staff to work with the students on a photo and indicated support for the idea of planting more Miyawaki‑style forests around Newark as part of local climate action efforts. The petitioners were advised to follow up with the Newark Unified School District.
