Lessons from Chipotle help spice up school meals

Published: October 9, 2024

Sherwood's Hawks View Elementary added a second salad bar because the fresh fruits and vegetables, many from local sources, are so popular. Kindergarteners are still learning to use the tongs, but their eyes light up Tuesday when they see the fruit. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)

Hungry students piled up Tuesday around the customizable chicken, bean and rice bowls, the first entrée to run out that day at Sherwood High School.

"It's actually good," sophomore Thomas Liels said with enthusiastic emphasis on the "actually." His friends nearby said all the school's lunch offerings are good, especially the giant and juicy Hood River apples.

The Sherwood School District's meal service numbers are growing under Gia Saporito, the Nutrition Services director. She is working with local partners to provide students with fresh, high-quality and interesting food choices.

Many Oregon school nutrition programs have become far more intentional, teaching students about good nutrition and demonstrating healthy eating practices. They have also become more sophisticated, partnering with local suppliers and offering a greater range of foods and meeting tougher nutrition standards.

OSBA and the Oregon Department of Education are inviting school board members and superintendents to visit their cafeterias for National School Lunch Week Oct. 14-18. The theme is "School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure."

School lunch visits are an effective way for school leaders to connect with students and see how a school is operating. During National School Lunch Week, leaders are encouraged to share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #NSLW24inOR. School board members should reach out to nutrition staff or administrators before visiting so they can prepare and provide a possible cost for the meal.

Student meal programs improve academics and help with behavior problems, according to research, but children can be finicky eaters. Saporito said Sherwood's kitchen managers are constantly looking for ways to "push the envelope" and entice students, such as sushi from a Portland company and "breakfast for lunch" on early-release days. Saporito wants variety for students, adding more vegetarian options such as Thai curries using tofu and plant-based meat substitutes.

Having a regular "customizable" entrée at the middle and high school is another winner. The Chipotle-inspired bowls come with a base of chicken, rice and beans that students can add ingredients to, including in-house-made sauces.

"They were jumping over each other to get the custom-made bowls," Saporito said. "The kids are obsessed with it."

Saporito wants to try a similar approach this winter with ramen.

"The more they can customize, the better the reception," she said.

Sherwood High offers about 10 regular entrees a day as well as some sort of special. Sherwood High Principal Adam Mitchell said that anything that encourages teens to eat better helps the whole school.

"They need to eat and eat healthy things," he said. "You can definitely tell when kids haven't eaten."

The School Meals for All Coalition is working toward universal free meal access in Oregon schools, and the state is getting close. Following an expansion last year of federal program eligibility requirements, 447 Oregon schools have added free meal programs, according to coalition data. Just 65 Oregon schools don't offer free meals, mostly because they don't meet eligibility requirements or they don't have the facilities, according to the coalition.

Sherwood qualified one of its six schools for the community eligibility program that allows schools to offer free breakfasts and lunches. Hawks View Elementary has already doubled the number of lunches and tripled the number of breakfasts it is serving compared with last year, according to Saporito.

Hawks View Principal Amy Mitchell said she appreciates knowing more students are starting their days with full bellies.

David Wieland of Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon said universal school access to meals pays "dividends across the board," increasing academic performance, raising attendance, lowering behavioral issues and being correlated with higher earnings later in life.

"The evidence is clear," he said. "This is transformational."

The coalition is planning to meet with legislators Tuesday to press for universal access in Oregon. Wieland said it will take a small addition to state funding for food and school equipment and some rule changes to make it possible.

The coalition is also seeking higher reimbursements for better quality food and improved food worker compensation.

The staff are a big part of Sherwood's success. Saporito calls her food services staff "rock stars."

"They know the kids; they love them," she said. "They create a great environment and try to make the presentation fantastic."

Sherwood school board member Hans Moller also praised the staff. He eats lunch at the high school occasionally, "mostly to embarrass my daughters," and said he is impressed the way staff are building relationships with students, talking about favorite TV shows or how they are doing in sports.

Saporito said the school board members have been wonderful advocates for the school meals program, able to respond to community questions with positive first-hand observations.

She said it is meaningful to food services staff as well when they see school board members showing pride in the district's meal programs.

During a House Interim Education Committee meeting last month, Rep. Emily McIntire, an Eagle Point School Board member, said it is important for school board members to check out school lunches at all their schools. She also recommended it as an opportunity to get to know staff and students.

Moller said attending lunch is a casual opportunity for school board members to make themselves more approachable by students and staff.

Moller said it was eye-opening when the Sherwood School Board was invited to tour the district's food programs last year. He said the meal offerings have vastly improved in freshness, variety, nutrition and choices from even a few years ago and there is no comparison to when he was in school.

"It was amazing," Moller said. "Why would you not eat here for lunch?"

- Jake Arnold, OSBA
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Sherwood High School students pile up at the customizable chicken, beans and rice bowls station, one of the most popular offerings from a food service staff looking for new ways to entice students to eat healthy lunches at the school. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)

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