Statesmen Station Opens at Marshall High School With impressive press coverage, Marshall High School Principal Jay Pearson officially opened Marshall High School’s new café-style salad/sandwich/soup bar, “The Statesmen Station,” on Thursday, September 12 to an audience filled with FCPS School Board members and the new Superintendent, state and local politicians, guests from the Pew Kid’s Safe and Healthful Foods Project, the Director of Safe and Healthy Students, Department of Education and the Deputy Undersecretary for USDA in charge of the National School Lunch Program. “I’m pleased this event has gathered so much attention,” said Pearson, who credited the success of the project to a collaborative effort between the School Board, FCPS Food and Nutrition Services, Real Food for Kids and Marshall High School. Pearson was followed by FCPS’s new Superintendent, Karen Garza, who had toured Marshall, currently in its second year of renovation, last week. “I am WOWED by the turnout,” she said to the crowd. Garza recognized Penny McConnell, FNS Director for the “good work underway” with examples like this providing our kids with healthy choices. Garza also mentioned her recent meeting with RFFK President JoAnne Hammermaster and shared how impressed she was with the collaborative approach RFFK has taken in “creating momentum around this important work.” Penny McConnell spoke on the challenges a school district faces in providing variety in a menu that must meet USDA guidelines, be affordable and meet the personal, cultural and therapeutic needs of students. She recognized Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Undersecretary who was in the audience, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, thanking them with “moving nutrition forward.” David Esquith, Director of Safe and Healthy Students for the Department of Education, fresh off a bus tour with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, said he was “jealous” of what he saw at Marshall, having not seen anything like it yet in Montgomery County where his children attend school. “This program is hitting on all cylinders,” he said, in how it teaches kids about the connection between food and academic performance, exposes them to new ideas and uses evidence-based practices. “The schools and school systems on the cutting edge of these issues are leading in academic performance and where their graduates end up going.” He then added, “You are the cutting edge of what many school systems will adopt across the country.” School Board member Ryan McElveen (At-Large) described some of the history behind the Statesmen Station which was identified only as a “pilot kitchen” when the school board first voted to approve funding in 2012. Their support was “an expression of strong interest in a transformative change in our food,” because they understood its impact on academic success. McElveen signaled that over the next few months the school board will be evaluating, county-wide, what works and what doesn’t with our food services, alluding to the comprehensive assessment that was completed in June and will be reviewed in the coming months. Patty Reed, School Board Member for Providence District in which Marshall sits, shared how impressed she has been with the student involvement in the project from the start, from the branding and design of the Statesmen Station, to the culinary competition held at Marshall last year which launched the collaborative menu effort between the school and FNS, the focus group in which students shared ideas and Marshall’s own Nutrition Club. And finally, the “wRap.” The highlight of the morning was a live performance of the “wRap” by MC Horne and the Fresh wRappers, Marshall students Jessica Campbell, Chris Chapin, Kailee Sibley, Hallie Schlaffer, Marcelo Guzman, Wynne Treco and Nikki Pope. Featured in RFFK News last month, the “wRap” was developed by the students along with Marshall English teacher Matthew Horne and local music teacher Sean Mahon, in thanks to the School Board and FNS for bringing the Statesman Station to the school. The group was interviewed on WJLA Friday where they also performed live. The event culminated in a tasting at the café car featuring Mixed Green Salad with Spinach and Chopped Kale, Waldorf and Cranberry Salad, Falafel Flatbread Sandwich with Tzatziki Sauce, Kung Pao Chicken and Lo Mein Noodles as well as Yogurt Parfaits and Naked Juice Smoothies. Several of the dishes were developed by Chef Paul Davis and have been tested at other schools in preparation for their addition to the lunch menu throughout FCPS. RFFK President JoAnne Hammermaster summed up the event, “It has been a complex process to bring this pilot program to Marshall. We have learned so much about what it takes to make this type of endeavor a success, but it comes down to the fact that FNS, the school and the people in FCPS Facilities have been willing to share in the vision of making more fresh food available to our students. There are risks and adjustments with any venture of this scope, but the exciting thing is, we did it! And it’s open! We are looking forward to the Statesmen Station being the model for further installations in the county. I think we are off to an incredibly positive start.”
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 22:09:30 +0000
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