Grade 3 students at Barker's Point Elementary joined with Grade 2 students from Gesner Elementary on March 22 for the preparation and sharing of healthy fruit snacks, served up with the help of local chef Roberta Akcakiryan from Tots n' Taters Caterers in Maugerville.
The morning event at Barker's Point Elementary was held as part of a local and healthy food initiative launched in three Anglophone schools through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Under the pilot project, the three schools team up with champion schools where successful healthy food programs are already in place.
Gesner Street Elementary School in Oromocto is one of the participating schools and is partnered with Barker's Point Elementary where fresh, healthy food is the focus of the school's hot lunch and breakfast program.
Gesner received a $3,000 nutrition pilot grant to purchase a grow tower to grow vegetables inside under an ultra-violet light and also bought books on healthy eating in both official languages. Barker's Point Elementary School has a grow tower with young seedlings and received a $2,000 funding grant for their project. Along with growing vegetables and enjoying healthy snacks, Barker's Point students have learned how to make a sandwich or a smoothie, and are talking with their teacher Lydia Georgiadis about healthy food and what food groups make up a nutritional, balanced diet. At Gesner Elementary, Grade 2 teacher Linda Hill and Melissa Moore, a parent who coordinates the hot lunch program, lead their project with the Grade 2 students.
On March 22, all the students were working together in the cafeteria to prepare and share healthy snacks with each other. Local chef Roberta Akcakiryan said she and her staff were proud to be a project partner in support of healthy young minds and healthy living within the elementary school environment.
Shown in the photo below are student Austin Goguen from Gesner Elementary with teachers Linda Hill and Lydia Georgiadis. Shown on the front page are students Gabriel Wilson and Gwen Davidson who are checking out fresh strawberries with Crystal Manuel from Tots n' Taters Caterers.
