HANSON — Superintendent Jeffrey Szymaniak is proud to announce that Whitman-Hanson Regional School District received a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award for improving the nutritional quality of its school meals.
Awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in collaboration with Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), the District received the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals for work in creating an inclusive school lunch menu. The District collaborated with its Director of Equity, English Learner Parent Advisory Council, students and families in developing nutritious menu options.
“Congratulations to all of our committed food staff employees who dedicated their time and energy into creating a menu that’s not only delicious but also nutritious for our students,” said Superintendent Szymaniak. “It is so important that we continue to promote well-being and inclusivity in every aspect of our school system.”
Director of Food Services Nadine Doucette and school staff attended the Culinary Resources Inspiring School Professionals (CRISP) Program offered by the John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State University. The program is designed to train school staff and prepare them with the basic culinary principles, hands-on practice and real-time guidance from chef instructors.
Director Doucette chose to focus on the Latin American Cuisine culinary workshop. In her time at the training, she created a Latin American Cuisine menu one day, called “Build Your Own Street Taco,” which she brought back for students to try. Director Doucette received positive feedback from students on the new menu choices. Some of the students’ favorite dishes included pulled chicken, peach salsa and Mexicali corn.
Healthy school meals are an essential part of the school environment and a proven tool for improving a child’s health, growth, development and educational outcomes. The Recognition Awards spotlight innovative practices, student and community engagement activities and strategies schools have used to provide meals that are consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
“One of America’s best opportunities to improve child health is by supporting schools in providing tasty and nutritious meals,” said Cindy Long, administrator of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “This Recognition Award highlights the remarkable achievements Whitman-Hanson School District has made in offering nutritious meals that students enjoy, and we look forward to them sharing their best practices to help other schools follow in their footsteps.”
“This award holds significant value for my team and myself,” said Whitman-Hanson Food Service Director Nadine Doucette. “We dedicated several weeks to training alongside chefs from the John C. Stalker Institute at Framingham State University, where we enhanced our skills, explored new recipes, conducted taste tests, and introduced new menu items while collecting feedback from the students.”
Whitman-Hanson School District will receive national and local recognition and travel stipends to attend a national Healthy Meals Summit (HMI) in Las Vegas.
More information about the HMI Recognition Awards can be found here.
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