WCS Steps Up To The Plate
Warsaw Community Schools is revolutionizing the way many think about lunch.
Contrary to conceptions of the stereotypical lunch comprised of the infamous “mystery meat,” inedible creamed vegetables and unappealing desserts, WCS Food Service Department is working to raise the bar, offering students a variety of healthy options that take students preferences into consideration.
Leading the forefront on the battle to improve school lunches is Director of Food and Nutrition Services Marci Franks. Franks, who has worked for Food Services for 25 years, said she was approached by WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz on how the Food Services Department was aligning their goals with the school mission statement to, “Inspire and equip all students to continuously acquire and apply knowledge and skills while pursuing their dreams and enriching the lives of others…”
Though many would believe the application of nutrition to the mission statement could be difficult, Franks many attributions and considerations in the Food Services department proved otherwise.
According to Franks, Warsaw Community Schools provides just over 1 million meals every year. These meals provide students with a state regulated amount of calories, sodium, carbohydrates, trans-fats and saturated fats. Students are separated into three age groups: kindergarten to fifth grade, sixth grade to eighth grade and ninth grade to 12th grade. Each group is allotted a very detailed nutritional allowance.
For students kindergarten to fifth grade a total of 550 to 660 calories on average must be given with a total of 2.5 cups of fruits, 3.75 cups vegetables (broken down into further allotment requirements of green, red/orange, legumes and starchy vegetables), an additional vegetable, 8-9 ounces of grains. Further requirements dealing with saturated fat, sodium and trans-fats are also accounted for when choosing which vegetables, fruits, grains and meats to serve.
While this may seem like enough to keep Franks plate full, her concerns regarding school lunch do not end there.
During a recent visit to Lakeview Middle School, StaceyPageOnline.com was able to sit in on a lunch time taste testing of a new burger choice for students. Instead of simply supplying the lunch option to students, Franks and her staff spoke with students as they ate the new all-beef burger asking what their opinions were of the new option, and if it was better than burgers served in the past.
“We are doing an all-beef burger testing today,” stated Franks, “the burger is larger than the old burger. [When considering new food choices] we want to get the student input on the food first. For us, it’s all about making students happy, satisfied and well-fed.”
And the commitment to students’ opinions does not end there. In an effort to expand students’ horizons, Franks and her staff provide taste testings at WCS elementary schools, allowing students to sample a variety of fruits and vegetables.
“We go into classrooms and do taste testings for fruits and veggies,” explained Franks. “We talk about where the vegetable or fruit comes fro, how it can be used and how does that food help a student’s body. Then we let students vote on their favorites.”
Food waste was also a concern of Franks as she noted the large amount of food left over after each lunch period. In an effort to combat this and provide most student control, Franks stated several of the elementary schools began offering students the opportunity to “self serve” their lunches. The “Self Serve Program” allowed the students control of which vegetable and fruit options they would like. According to Franks, WCS offers students at least one fresh fruit and vegetable every day, as well as a canned vegetable and fruit option.
“The students have loved being able to choose what they want to eat. We have less food waste because of that. We want our students to take the food options, but we also want them to eat it. At the elementary level the classroom demonstrations, new service lines more choices and five star meals have helped reduce lunch waste by 50 percent and participation is up to about 70 percent. It doesn’t nourish their bodies if it goes into the trash,” said Franks.
In addition to self-serve lunch lines, Lakeview, Edgewood and Warsaw Community High School all also feature salad bar options for students to create their own salads. According to Franks, WCHS has about 20 percent of its students eat from the salad bar every day and has helped raise meal counts by 33 percent.
The salad bar option offers students with special diets, such as vegans and vegetarians, an opportunity to eat at school and stay within their parameters. Lakeview and Edgewood host the salad bar three days a week and have also seen a rise of roughly 10 percent in their meal counts and line speed by adding the salad bar option. In addition to taking choice diet concerns into consideration, Franks noted the schools also work around food allergy specific diet plans.
Though many may think the mission to improve school lunches would raise meal costs at the school, Franks motto is to ensure students get “the most for their buck.” While the school does have the option to raise their lunch prices significantly, Franks only raises the lunch prices to the level the state absolutely demands.
Next year, the salad bar lunch price for the middle school will rise from $2.50 to $2.75 and from $2.75 to $2.85 for the high school, and the high school lunch cost will rise from $2.50 to $2.60, per state mandate. Costs for lunch at the elementary school is set at $2.25 and breakfast costs are set at $1.25 with 25-cent reduced breakfasts offered as well.
Franks diligent work in Food Services has been noticed outside the community as well. She was recently selected to represent the state at a Serving Up Science: The Path to Safe Food in Schools. The course, which will be taught at Kansas State University, will include classroom lectures and discussion, field trips to production and processing facilities, and hands-on laboratory experiences. Franks travel expenses will be covered in full and she hopes to bring back information that will help WCS build further upon their efforts in preparing food safely.
“The more I can learn about food safety and the science that applies the more I can teach my staff in an interesting way,” stated Franks.
For more information on Warsaw Community School’s Food Services department visit www.wcsfoodandnutrition.org or call 575-371-5098.