Medford Hires Chef to Revamp School Lunch
Food Director Says Chef, Other Initiatives Make School Fare Healthier
Fried fare, as shown in the picture above, has no place in Medford’s school cafeterias, as, according to Food Services Director Jean Irwin, all food is either baked, boiled, or steamed. There are no fryers in any of the schools.
– Allison Goldsberry
Starting in January, local chef Bridget Collins will be trading five-star restaurants for the school cafeteria when she starts whipping up tasty and healthy foods for the Medford public schools.
Collins, a Medford resident that has two children in the school system, is tasked with creating appealing, nutritious recipes that can be created in the full service kitchens in each school.
Food Services Director Jean Irwin, speaking before the School Committee Monday night, said with Collins on staff, the district will no longer have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on cookies, muffins, and pizza dough, and will instead be creating its own healthier versions in-house.
Irwin said Collins will first focus on providing healthier breakfast options such as granola and hearty breakfast breads.
Medford joins few other school systems locally and nationally, including Boston, in hiring a school chef. It has been a goal of Irwin for several years and she is happy to final see it through.
According to Irwin, hiring a chef is just one of several steps Medford has taken over the past few years to make its school lunches, snacks, and drinks more healthy. Traditional junk food has been replaced with baked, single-serving snacks, soda and sports drinks machines have been swapped out for those with water and juice-based beverages, and fresh produce and whole meat products are being used more.
In addition, nutritional information is available for each school lunch menu and is also posted online, so parents and students can see the total number of calories, fat, and carbohydrates.
School Supertintendent Roy Belson said Medford has done more than many school systems to provide students with nutritionally sound food, and its food quality more than exceeds state and federal guidelines.
“I’m very proud of the important steps that have been taken to make our schools that much healthier,” said Belson.
Search is on for School Physician
After many years on the job, School Physician Dr. Ralph Goldstein is retiring as of December 31, 2007, and the search is on for his replacement. Belson said he hopes to make a recommendation for the School Committee’s approval sometime in January.
According to a recent report drafted by the Massachusetts School Physician Committee and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health School Health staff, school physicians address the health needs of the students in their district by working with school nurses in administering the school health program, and serving as a liaison to community health providers.
Social Studies Department Plans Mock Debate, Election
High school students, assuming the roles the top Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, will duke it out in a mock debate on January 29, 2008 in the Caron Theater.
Each of the students, after conducting extensive research of their candidates, will have to answer (or artfully dodge) questions posed to them by their peers.
Following the mock debate, a mock presidential primary will take place on Monday, February 4, the day before Massachusetts residents head to the polls to cast ballots in the presidential primary. Results of the school-wide mock election will be announced on Wednesday, February 6, so students can see how their votes stacked up to the rest of the state.
Social Studies Department Coordinator Bernadette Ricciardelli said the department wants to teach students how to be active, involved citizens.
Furthering that goal, Social Studies teachers will hold a voter registration drive on January 9 and eligible students can register to vote in time for the February presidential primary.