After a summer dormancy, school halls now bustle with excitement and emanate a comforting aroma: A fusion of freshly sharpened pencils and brand new cartons of crayons, crisp stacks of colored paper, humidity radiating from bodies fresh from recess, and lunch meals. Without effort, it opens memories to times long passed.

For many, those golden, olden years seem safer and healthier than the ones students face now. An increasing awareness of American children’s growing waistlines is generating a hum of activity on local, district, state, and national levels. With support from the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation has persuaded some soft-drink companies to voluntarily withdraw soda from many schools. Governor Blagojevich has recently proposed a rules change to ban “junk food” from Illinois schools. Chicago Public Schools is taking recommendations to establish a list of healthy snacks for their vending machine programs. And some individual schools and teachers are giving their students hands-on information at organic farms where they can compare the number of living organisms in conventional soil to that in organic soil.

Much of this activity is driven by a federal mandate for school districts to develop wellness policies. The policies must address nutritional standards for schools and physical activity for students and they must be developed by a range of individuals in the community, from parents, students, and teachers, to healthcare professionals and other school stakeholders. Though the mandate is a mark towards exciting changes to come, some critics say the voluntary makeup of the program, without funding or penalties for inaction, will not make effective changes.

When asked about the direction of the federal wellness policy, Jean Saunders, School Food Consultant for Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), counters this criticism, saying, “It’s absolutely in the right direction. It gives local districts room to specify what they want and it requires conversation.” Saunders has worked on special taskforces at district and school levels to pinpoint, create, and support wellness programs. Since 2002, HSC has offered an increasingly powerful political voice for a more healthy school environments while their consultation has facilitated more productive partnerships. “We consolidate information and distribute it, and then foster change through the discussion of this information.”

In-the-know, HSC understands the climate surrounding a move towards more conscious ways of eating in public schools. Saunders knew of some organics programs being implemented across the country, but around Illinois, she knew of only one. “More revenue is needed through a higher enrollment in lunch programs for organics to move forward. What I do see more and more of, is an emphasis upon Farm-to-School programs.” In Evanston, Oak Park, and River Forrest, wellness programs are in beginning stages to progress beyond a body-health focus to one on the environment too.  Local purchasing contacts have been initiated and basic meal production is accompanied by curriculum materials to educate students about the changes going on in their food system.

One major mover in Farm-to-School programs, Seven Generations Ahead (SGA), has been partnering with Illinois schools and farmers since 2001. Executive Director Gary Cuneen underscores the variety of their goals: “We strive for healthy eating in our schools by emphasizing the nutritional value found in different fresh fruits and vegetables; connecting students to local, earth-friendly farms; advocating for changes in school lunch programs, and introducing sustainability through curriculum modules and our newsletter.”

As a result of SGA's advocacy and education, District 97 in Oak Park begins a unique pilot program with two elementary schools, Irving and Beye. Students will be served healthier meals incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables and whole foods and so begin to depart from the “heat and serve” production model. “We want to promote nutritional basics—eliminating trans-fats and high starch, reducing highly processed foods, and sourcing as much fresh, local produce as possible--while educating children with our 8-week healthy eating curriculum, bringing in the farmers to talk with the students, and taking the students out to the farms too,” says Cuneen. In essence, SGA defines wellness as something more than a reconnection with a student’s health. It’s also about reconnecting with the origin of healthy food. “It is amazing to watch kids and parents at these farms…it is such a transforming process,” remarks Cuneen.

So far SGA has partnered with twelve schools and the list is growing. “If parents want to get involved at the schools we’ve partnered with, it’s very easy,” says Cuneen when asked what parents can do to help, “Parents can support garden development, fundraising, educational activities, and advocacy. And if we’re not already at a parent’s school, we are open to speak with parents, teachers, and administrators to help them find out what they can do to promote healthy eating at their schools.”

With more coverage of childhood-obesity, organics, and sustainability—more groups are coming together to address the issues at hand. A wealth of information is available for parents, students, teachers, superintendents, and advocates looking for help and to help. Awareness of these changes generates more questions and more conversation, a hum. It is a hum taking place around our school halls and inside them. It is what will help maintain the integrity and timelessness of those comforting aromas.

Mercedee Renz, Goodness GreenessBesides the three resources already sited, there are many others you can explore:

• Team Nutrition The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service for healthy schools resources.
• Green Earth Institute Their “Nutrition in the Schools” page presents many educational sources on current issues nationally and within the Midwest area.
• Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch A successful Madison project noted by both SGA and HSC.
• Green Teacher Network (GTN) From the Openlands Project, GTN offers a network of earth-friendly activities for students, teachers, and parents.
• Green Youth Farm Chicago Botanic Garden hosts this high school program to generate interest in horticulture, agriculture, and green enterprise.
• Little Village Environmental Justice Organization Read about how this organization has partnered to reduce asthma and obesity in Latino schools.
• Northern Illinois Independent Purchasing Cooperative They negotiate and source out alternative food service programs.
• Center for Ecoliteracy Located primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1995, this public foundation offers a successful model and support system for educational organizations and school communities (Plus, the site is a beauty to marvel).
• The O’Mama Report An offshoot program from the Organic Trade Association, this site presents a full report on organic food in schools, including tips for change.
• Model School Wellness Programs Examples of wellness polices and additional resources can be found here.
• Menu For Change From Stonyfield Farm, this site includes information on their Healthy Vending Machine, including a list of approved healthy snack vendors and more.
• The Food Project An example of a thriving Farm-to-School program in Massachusetts.
• Action for Healthy Kids Supported, partnered, and chaired by some big names, this national resource center looks at a myriad of angles from state-by-state action to reports on current news events.
• Two Angry Moms Their site presents hands-on knowledge and a complete “Everything You Need to Start a School Wellness Council” package.
• California School Garden Network A resource for garden educators with a curriculum bibliography.
• Cornell Farm to School Their work centers in the New York area and presents an overview of the state’s many farm-to-school projects.
• Rethinking Schools This summer’s 2006 article focused on issues surrounding how and what students are fed in public schools.