Brandon Valley highlights classroom nutrition program after statewide recognition

Brandon Valley School District 49-2 staff described on Monday evening a three-year nutrition-education program that has put nutrition and wellness lessons into elementary classrooms and other grades.

The program, presented to the Brandon Valley School Board by Merle Horace and Allison (Lisonbee) Eddy, aims to expose students to nutrition topics, give them behind-the-scenes access to school kitchens and demonstrate how food choices affect sleep and classroom focus. "We bring them behind the scenes into the kitchen. They get to see the walk in coolers and freezers where everything's prepped," said Allison Lisonbee Eddy, assistant director for child nutrition. "Their eyes go in disbelief when we tell them that all of this food's gone in one week."

The nut graf: District staff said the program began in fall 2022 and has reached kindergarten through fourth grade in every elementary building and parts of the intermediate school, with plans to expand into upper grades as staffing and facilities allow.

Eddy told the board the program began Sept. 7, 2022, and that staff have run more than 220 individual classroom sessions, estimating the program has reached more than 1,500 students. Sessions include a popular "kids in the kitchen" tour of food-preparation areas, a MyPlate lesson about the five food groups, a new module that links nutrition to healthy sleep routines, and a "veggie" class used in junior kindergarten that included a Veggie Bingo activity where students sampled vegetables.

Merle Horace, principal of Brannon Elementary School, introduced the item and said the activities generate strong student interest. "They got to do that. And I was walking along Lisonbee the other day, and she had a cart with some fruit on it and vegetables and they all had to… sample every item," Horace said. Board members offered praise for the program's reach and repeat requests from teachers.

Eddy said about 50 teachers have requested at least one session and 22 have requested multiple sessions. She also noted that the district's nutrition program contributed to receiving a local "Grama healthy meals" award for innovation in nutrition education, which she described as uncommon among other districts in the state.

District staff said they intend to continue the program and hope to expand into upper-grade classrooms as staffing and a new elementary school allow. Eddy added that the program has engaged high school students through contributions to the district newsletter.

Board members asked no substantive follow-up questions beyond praise. The presentation was offered during the board's "good news" and administration reports portion of the March 24 meeting.

Closing details: The board did not take a formal vote on the program presentation; it was listed as a report to the board.