Yesterday SNF was back in Charleston, SC to see school breakfast in action. The last time we were here, we visited Angel Oak Elementary for our media event in November 2012. We met up with Walter Campbell, director of foodservice, to visit Garrett Academy and EB Ellington Elementary.
Our first stop was Garrett Academy, one of the high schools implementing BIC. Using a direct delivery to the classroom model, students pick up breakfast coolers and take them back to the classroom at the start of the school day. Garrett Academy is one of two high schools we are supporting in Charleston. Alethia Washington, cafeteria manager at Garrett, and her staff enjoy seeing more of the students eat. Since the program started at the beginning of the school year, participation averages 70 percent, an increase of 47 percent before BIC. As the school year winds down, Walter and his staff are evaluating the success of BIC at Garrett. Some of the areas they will be looking at include making modifications to how breakfast is delivered now that the school has gone to block scheduling as well as new strategies to better market the program to students next fall.
Coolers ready for pickup in the cafeteria
EB Ellington Elementary
Our second stop was EB Ellington, home of the Eagles. Karen Hollinshead-Brown, principal, Edwina Mungin, cafeteria manager and Frank Manigault, area supervisor gave us a warm welcome. Using direct to classroom delivery, students have breakfast waiting for them when they arrive. On the menu this morning was a sausage roll, juice and choice of white or chocolate skim milk. Ellington has an average of 83 percent participation in the program and strong support from the principal. Ms. Hollinshead-Brown said BIC was a great way to start the day and that students had embraced it and enjoy eating together in their classrooms. We checked in with teachers as we walked the hallways and they said the same thing, it was easy to implement and very well organized in the mornings. One of the Child Development classroom teachers said that BIC has fit seamlessly into her morning routine and the students like it.
The Estimation Station makes things fun for students.
We noticed The Estimation Station in one of the kindergarten classrooms where students had estimate how many dice were in the glass container – a great activity before the start of school.
Trash disposal, via hallway trashcans, is simple and efficient.
After students finish breakfast, they each take their trash out to a trash can in the hallway, keeping the trash out of the classroom and making for easy pick up by custodial staff. One student then rolls the coolers back to the cafeteria and breakfast is finished for the day.
On the lunch menu was roast chicken and sweet potatoes. As we were leaving, these trays of fresh sweet potatoes were going into the oven. We wish we could have stayed for lunch!
It was a great visit to Charleston!