"Our 5th graders doing their part to promote parsnips... Coming soon to a school lunch near you... #Lewis #Twitter "
The Nutrition Services department in my school district has made great efforts over the past few years to increase the quality and variety of food being served in our school cafeterias. One aspect of this effort is something they call Harvest of the Month. Items in this program our locally sourced and are an attempt to expose students to fruits and vegetables that they might not normally eat. Our most recent Harvest of the Month involved the serving of parsnips.
"Posting tomorrow's menu... Thank you lunch helpers... #Lewis #twitter"
Parsnips were offered twice in a one month period and this provided an opportunity for our 5th grade students to do to do a little parsnip marketing. Under the direction of our school support staff member, Kathleen Witter, our 5th grade students embarked on a marketing campaign. Students created posters advertising the virtues of parsnips and proceeded to post them around the school. This provided many opportunities for discussion and to generate interest in parsnips.
By the time the next parsnips serving day came around, we saw a larger interest in parsnips and more students willing to give them a try. All in all, a great way to increase the interest in our school lunch program and in the health benefits of parsnips, and also provide our fifth-grade students with an opportunity to help spread the word.