Students and Chefs Prepare Local Foods

Third graders from Samuel J. Green Charter School teamed up with chefs Woody Ruiz, Linda Green, Jackie Blanchard, Todd Pulsinelli, Mason Hereford, Mike Doyle & Jess Stokes, Gary Granata and Jeff Barron to “Make Groceries.”

The event, hosted by ESYNOLA, is part of the 3^rd grade edible experience at Green Charter School. Before getting dirty in the Green Teaching Kitchen, students and local chefs headed to Crescent City Farmers Market to do some grocery shopping. Each team received $15 in market tokens to buy local ingredients for their main dish. 

After each team of students browsed the market, spoke with farmers, and bought all the necessary ingredients, Green 3^rd graders headed back to the school’s teaching kitchen. Using ingredients purchased at the market, along with ingredients from the ESYNOLA garden at Green, the chef-led student teams started on their special dish.

The 3^rd grade edible experience concluded with a multi-course lunch.   Students, chefs, and faculty shared their creations with friends and family in the Green Charter School Cafe. The menu featured a market salad; creole tomato sausage and chicken stew; roasted kale and carrots with fava beans with a yogurt sauce; ya ya fried rice; pinto chili with ground goat; pulled hen pizza with fresh tomato ragu and white cheddar.  For dessert the menu included strawberry upside down cake and pizza with strawberry coulis and Chantilly cream.

Find more pictures from the Samuel J. Green Market-to-Table 3^rd Grade Edible Experience on the ESYNOLA Facebookpage or at NOLA.com.

Anti-Obesity Campaign Launches at LHA

                         
New Orleans struggles with one of the highest rates of child obesity in the United States. The above video highlights programs in New Orleans fighting to change bad habits. Programs include an increase in school gardens where students learn about where food comes from, incentives for public schools to provide healthy food options, and First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign to promote physical activity.

At the Dreamkeeper Garden, FirstLine Lead Garden Educator, Amy and students from Langston Hughes Academy learn how to grow broccoli and the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.

As part of our continued mission to serve the whole child, FirstLine Schools offers programs such as Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA). A signature program of FirstLine Schools, ESYNOLA involves students and the school community in growing, harvesting, preparing and enjoying food together as a means of awakening their senses, cultivating an environment that promotes a sense of pride and responsibility for our land and natural resources, and developing a love of fresh, seasonal foods. The mission of ESY NOLA is to imporve the long-term well-being of our students, families and school community.

Additionally, as part of our continued mission to serve the whole child, FirstLine Schools has adopted Comprehensive School Wellness as one of its major initiatives for the 2012-2013 school year. Comprehensive School Wellness aims to address six key areas of school wellness: (1) Mindset, Policies, Systems, & Assessments, (2) School Food: Nutrition, Access, & Education, (3) Physical Safety, (4) Physical Fitness, (5) Mental & Emotional Health, and (6) Risky Behavior Prevention.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program at Langston Hughes Academy

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Langston Hughes Academy, is currently participating in the Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Program during the 2012-2013 school year. The program is supported by the Louisiana Department of Education, and provides funding for schools to distribute fresh fruit and vegetable snacks to all students.

The program is designed to benefit those schools with the highest enrollment of free and reduced-price eligible students. Low-income children generally have fewer opportunities to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. The Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Program not only provides students a healthy snack option, but it also provides an opportunity to try new types of fruits and vegetables that they otherwise might not.

Langston Hughes Academy serves students afternoon snacks on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Fresh fruit and vegetables are distributed to each classroom throughout the afternoon. Snacks include seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as sliced mango, apple, and orange wedges.

Incorporating Movement into the Classroom at Samuel J. Green

There's been an increase of stretching, jumping, stepping, and reaching in Samuel J. Green classrooms this spring! Following a teacher training offered in January 2013, teachers at Green have been incorporating movement into their classrooms by using physical activity breaks. 
Physical activity breaks are bursts of physical activity that are integrated into the school day; composed of a series of simple, easy-to-learn movements; and designed to require minimal disruption of routine. 

Students spend up to 9 hours a day at school and are inactive most of the time. To meet the national recommendation that youth be physically active for at least 60 minutes daily, physical activity breaks are needed throughout the school day. 

There are many benefits to physical activity, including:

• Increased concentration
• Increased test scores
• Increased positive attitude
• Increased attendance
• Decreased disruptive behavior

Teachers at Green have been using physical activity breaks during class to reenergize and reengage students back to learning and as a substitute for recess when outdoor play is unavailable. Teachers at Green have reported that using physical activity breaks have "lifted their [students] spirits" and "lightened the mood." Teachers have also reported that "students were calmer afterwards" and "more focused."

This initiative will hopefully be rolled out to the other FirstLine schools in the near future! Just last week, a teacher training was offered at Langston Hughes Academy. 

A variety of physical activity breaks are available on DVD and on YouTube. Teachers and students can also create their own physical activity breaks. Instant recess is one example of a physical activity program that can be easily implemented in classrooms. 

Check out this video of 2nd graders at Green Participating in some Instant Recess: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQNxAAk-UeI

Kelley McDonough is a School Wellness Program Coordinator with School Health Connection, a program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI). School Health Connection partners with FirstLine Schools in supporting comprehensive school wellness programming. Visit School Health Connection on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/SchoolHealthConnection.

Edible Schoolyard NOLA's Annual Plant Sale!

It's time to plant your spring garden and The Edible Schoolyard has just the right stuff to get you started.

When: Saturday April 6
Where: Edible garden of Samuel J. Green Charter School
When: 12 - 5 PM
What: We will be selling vegetables, herbs, flowers, shrubs, and butterfly and habitat plants 



Don't forget about the Freret Street Festival, just around the corner. Be sure to check out ESYNOLA's Budding Entrepreneurs booth. The Budding Entrepreneurs program is an afterschool program in which middle schools students grow and create value-added products from the garden, such as hot pepper and grape jams, vinegars, granola and soaps. All of these tasty goods will be available at the Freret Street Festival!

All proceeds benefit the edible gardens across the FirstLine Network