What happens when a nurse and librarian get together in a rural Campbell County school where many students lack access to fresh fruit and vegetables?
An integrated education plan that enables kids to read about fruits and vegetables, plant their own gardens as well as mathematically graph the likelihood that their food will grow.
The
Silver Grove Independent Schools was awarded a $400 Learning Links grant from the
Greater Cincinnati Foundation this fall to buy more than 40 books on the topic of fruits and vegetables. The grant was among $97,000 the foundation awarded to 109 schools in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area this year. The grants, of up to $1,000 each, are for creative and interesting programs or events in classrooms.
The books at Silver Grove are aimed at all learning levels and include cookbooks and resource books, says Julie Kaeff, the school’s family resources and Youth Service Center director.
“We have a high rate of free and reduced lunch kids - about 86 percent – and we discovered that many have very little exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables, beyond bananas and apples,’’ she says. “We hope that through teaching them there are other options, that when given the opportunity, they will make wiser choices.”
The previous school nurse and librarian – who continues to volunteer at the school – came up with the idea last year amid concerns about childhood obesity, Kaeff says. Through conversations with the kids, the nurse realized that many of the students lacked access to fresh fruits. They also lacked knowledge about where their food comes from. The duo crafted the plan that also included applying for federal funding from the
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to provide fresh snacks three days a week.
And while they did not win the federal funding, several teachers are bringing in various fruits and vegetables to introduce students to various foods, including raspberries, squash, pumpkins and zucchini.
“There are a lot of students who think it’s all just chicken nuggets, hot dogs and hamburgers," Kaeff says. "They think all fruits and vegetables are disgusting. We are trying to change that.”
Kaeff says teachers and students will take their in-classroom learning outside to a newly constructed greenhouse, which was donated by
La Farge North America, a construction company based in Silver Grove. Last spring, some students started tomato plants from seeds and grew the plants in the greenhouse and then took them home over summer break.
“We hope to plant various different things in the spring,’’ she says.
Kaeff said the books are just the beginning. She said she hopes that parents or grandparents might even check them out to learn about fresher options and more diversified menu planning. She also hopes the school can offer some workshops for adults, including showing how to eat healthy on a budget.
“Maybe, just maybe, this will open the door,’’ Kaeff says. “Maybe the kids will say: ‘Hey Mom, hey Dad, can we have this?”
Do Good
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.