Grace Hartman among top ten schools in ‘Whole Grain Challenge’

(ROCKWALL ISD-December 13, 2012) As of July 2012, every US school participating in the National School Lunch Program is required to make at least half the grains they serve “whole grain-rich.” How do you take these new regulations and make meals kids will want to eat? And how do you do it quickly, when the full rules came out just two months ahead of the changeover date? For many schools, this presents a real challenge.

That’s exactly why the Whole Grains Council made our 2012 Whole Grains Challenge foodservice awards program all about the K-12 Schools. They know there is a long line of hungry kids in the cafeteria door who are used to popcorn chicken, burgers and pizza, and somehow they’ve got to get those kids excited about an entirely new lunch menu.

The Whole Grains Council encouraged  every US school (public or non-profit private) participating in the National School Lunch Program to participate – whether they are a “veteran” who’s been serving whole grains for a while now or a “rookie” who’s new to the whole grain world this year. They asked them to send up their stories explaining their best tips for successfully serving whole grains in schools – and describing any remaining barriers and challenges they face in implementing whole grains.

From the entries they received, the challenging task was to judge and select the top ten schools, then from the top ten, choose one “Rookie” and one “Veteran” Grand Prize winner. The winners showed they were motivated not only to meet the new school food guidelines, but to exceed them, while demolishing any barriers in their path.

Grace Hartman Elementary was chosen as one of the Top Ten Schools. As the Child Nutrition Manager at Grace Hartman, Vicki Dorgelo has been using whole grains for just a short time. Also following a baby steps procedure of introducing one new product at a time, Dorgelo and her staff have made their way from whole grain rolls to pasta. They found the transition to whole grains, so far, has been surprisingly easy. Dorgelo shares her secret for perfectly cooked whole grain pasta: prepare it ahead, timing the cooking process carefully, chill the pasta until meal time, then garnish and “serve all dishes with a smile.”

The top ten winning schools will each receive a variety of cases of whole grain-rich products. Dorgelo said she will introduce these products to the Youth Advisory Council, made up of students in 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders, who meet regularly to discuss new food items for the school.

Article supplied by Karen Mansur, Karen@oldwayspt.org.

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  Dorgelo, Grace Hartman Elementary, Rockwall ISD, Whole Grain Challenge, whole wheat