The campaign theme, ‘WILD About School Lunch’ highlights the importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom
WASHOUGAL – To recognize the National School Lunch Program, serving nearly 30 million children each day, Washougal schools will celebrate National School Lunch Week from Oct. 11-15. The campaign theme, “WILD About School Lunch” highlights the importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom.
Recent research published in The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) shows children are getting their healthiest meals at school. “Our school lunches offer students fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk, and meet federal nutrition standards limiting fat, calories and sodium,” said Margaret Rice, WSD director of Culinary Services. “Thanks to pandemic waivers, school meals are free for all students this school year, so it’s a great time for families to give school breakfast and lunch a try. National School Lunch Week gives us a platform to help educate parents and students about all the wonderful benefits of our district’s self-operated Culinary Services Program, led by Chef Johnattan Curiel, executive sous chef and his amazing team.”
Nearly 25,000 meals were served in WSD during the month of September 2021.
With the shift to more scratch-made menu items, the district is being mindful of bringing items that highlight different cultures represented in their schools.
“October is Hispanic Heritage Month so we will feature items like Pork Verde, Soft Tacos, Bean and Cheese Enchiladas and even Churros,” said Chef Curiel. “Washougal will continue to add menu items that bring opportunities for students to try new things and celebrate diversity within their schools.”
WSD will kick off the week of celebration with a fun treat for all students to enjoy. “We are also welcoming at each school a ‘special guest server’ to help our Culinary Services staff provide delicious meals to the students,” said Rice “Spoiler alert, it will be the school principal!”
Washougal also provides meals for their employees at a cost of $2.70 for breakfast and $4.75 for lunch.
“What a great value to students and staff and what a wonderful way to celebrate, participate in and learn more about the program than through the recognition of National School Lunch Week,” said Rice.
The “WILD About School Lunch” campaign is made possible by the nonprofit School Nutrition Association and Kellogg’s. Parents and students can follow the fun using the hashtags #NSLW21, #WILDSchoolLunch and #SchoolLunch.
For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/food-services or https://schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.
Information provided by Washougal School District.
