Students at George Bissett Elementary School have enjoyed a "delicious/nutritious" school year with healthy snacks, thanks to a Health Promoting School grant. Principal John McPherson explains that the goal of the healthy food initiative was to make healthy snack choices available to all students in snack bowls for every classroom and the Learning Centre.

Last fall, a Healthy Eating Committee was formed to discuss implementation of the initiative. They created the list of snack items based on the new Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Schools and divided the weekly shopping responsibilities. Three parent volunteers carefully scrutinize the flyers in search of well-priced, nutritious items. They get together once a week in the staff room to clean fruit, bag some snacks and replenish the bowls.

"Each week the children are very excited when we take the ’new snacks‘ into their rooms,” says parent volunteer Johanne McVea, “They have come up to us in the hallways to tell us they've tried something new or tell us what their favourite snack has been. One student told us he tried plums for the first time and now asks his parents to buy them for home".

Principal McPherson says the staff have encouraged the children to eat healthy as part of their overall well being. “Some teachers take the opportunity to generate discussions and lessons around health and healthy,” he says.

At a SAC meeting this spring, surveys were proposed as a way of determining student feedback on the snack bowls. Nearly 92% of the student body completed the forms with an overall 94% positive response rate. 
 

"One class of grade 4 students, after completing the surveys, took it upon themselves to make ’thank you‘ notes for the volunteers. The students included some reasons why they enjoyed the snack bowls and expressed hope for the snack bowls to continue again next year," Ms. McVea says.

Principal McPherson says the project would not have been such a success without the hard work of the parent volunteers.

George Bissett School has also worked hard to ensure there are only healthy recess choices in the canteen and no vending machines that offer unhealthy food or drink choices. Teachers are using non-food related rewards in the classrooms.

The Snack Bowls at George Bissett School are an example of how Health Promoting School Grants are being used in Halifax Regional School Board schools to help kids enjoy active, healthy lives. 

For more information about Health Promoting Schools, please contact Catherine Cole, Our Health School Leader, Halifax Regional School Board, ccole@hrsb.ns.ca and 464-2000 ext.4419.