What's For Lunch at Prince George's Schools?

A look at this week's menu.

Howard County Schools Nationally Recognized for Nutrition, Physical Education

Each of Howard County’s 73 schools will receive a plaque and a banner.

Howard County public schools—including those in North Laurel—have received national distinction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for “outstanding practices in school nutrition programs, physical education and physical activity,” according to the district. Howard County is the only school system in Maryland to earn this distinction for each of its schools and is one of four Maryland school systems honored, district officials said. The award is sponsored by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and is called the HealthierUS School Challenge. Howard County won the bronze level of distinction, district officials said. The national certification initiative is voluntary, district officials said, and is for schools participating in the …

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Howard County Schools Nationally Recognized for School Nutrition, Physical Education

Each of Howard County’s 73 schools will receive a plaque and a banner.

Howard County public schools have received national distinction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for “outstanding practices in school nutrition programs, physical education and physical activity,” according to a district release. Howard County is the only school system in Maryland to earn this distinction for each of its schools and is one of four Maryland school systems honored, district officials said. The award is sponsored by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and is called the HealthierUS School Challenge. Howard County won the bronze level of distinction, district officials said. The national certification initiative is voluntary, district officials said, and is for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. …

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Lunch Lessons: Scotchtown Hills Elementary Focuses on Teaching Healthy Lessons

After a garden was planted near the playground, teachers use fruits and vegetables in lesson plans to teach students about healthy eating.

Danayah Goodman no longer chooses chips and cookies at snack time. Thanks to the Scotchtown Hills Elementary School’s fruit and vegetable garden, the third grader now opts for healthier alternatives. “The garden has helped me make smarter choices because it makes me think about what to eat,” Goodman said. “It makes me think to eat vegetables and fruit more often.” The garden was created in May, after the Laurel Home Depot donated six 32-by-40 inch beds, two apple trees and two pear trees to the Dorset Road elementary school. In the six months since the school celebrated the inception of the garden, they’ve grown corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, lettuce, beets, watermelons, cucumbers and sunflowers. The donation came after …

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Packing Healthy, Easy School Lunches

Tips from local moms on kid-friendly, healthy and easy school lunches.

School is about to start, and one big decision other than what the first-day outfit will be is whether or not your child will eat a packed lunch or buy lunch from school. The great thing about packing lunch is that you know what your kids will be eating, and you can cater the meal to their allergies and preferences. Patch spoke to some local moms—and Patch contributors—and came up with a few tips every family can use. How to get your kids excited about packing a lunch: Make a deal with your kids. Give them a certain amount of money each week and explain they can either buy school lunch with it, or save it and bring their lunch from home for free. — Lezlie Crosswhite, contributor  One big thing kids seem to be into these days is bento box …

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SPEAK OUT: Healthy School Lunches

Do schools offer enough healthy lunch options?

It’s not every day you hear an 11-year-old pass up pizza and ask for more salad. But, The Gazette reports that’s exactly what Ciara Mulvihill did when she realized Oakland Terrace Elementary School in Silver Spring did not offer many healthy food options. So, Ciara and several classmates brought the issue to their principal, Cheryl Pulliam.  Pulliam supported the girls' campaign for healthier foods -- the school recently installed a salad bar in its cafeteria. Several Prince George's County public schools will soon follow suit.  According to Joan Shorter, director of the county's department of food and nutrition services, salad bars will be piloted in 10 of the area's schools in the fall.  All Prince George's County schools currently offer…

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