NEW LONDON -- Just three months into the school year, the New London-Spicer School District reported Tuesday that its Wellness Policy designed to prevent youth obesity is being embraced by students.
According to reports from NLS school principals and assistant principals, a large number of students are eating breakfast at the schools and using vending machines filled with healthier, alternative snacks.
The high school experienced a 233 percent increase in students eating the healthy breakfast options offered at school on a daily basis, the reports state. In combination with the middle school and elementary school, the daily number of students consuming breakfast at school increased by 46 percent.
Joe Broderick, assistant high school principal, said he has seen a greater number of students bringing healthier breakfast options to school since the Wellness Policy's implementation this school year.
According to district business manager Barb Gjerde, the Wellness Policy was designed to curb youth obesity through implementing healthy eating options, nutrition-based curricula, and increased physical activity during and after school.
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Sonya Peterson, Prairie Woods Elementary School principal, said health curricula has included information about the food pyramid, serving sizes and observation of food labels.
As part of the nutrition implementation, the food service has implemented simple changes like serving beverages with 100 percent fruit juice and cookies a la carte only twice a week.
In other business:
n High school theatre instructor Benjamin Mooberry shared his experience at the 20th Annual Guthrie Theatre Conference with the board. Attending for the second time with four students, Mooberry said the trip in August was even better than his first. Mooberry said his students participated in musical-themed workshops and viewed two productions during the three-day conference. He said he hoped the district would continue to support participation in the conference for years to come.
n The board viewed the first reading of its ice rink agreement with The Lakes Area Ice Club, Inc. Superintendent Paul Carlson said the district is waiting for a reply from its attorney about how the public use of the donated ice rink will affect the wording of the contract.
