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WINTERSVILLE -- For the fourth year in a row, Indian Creek Local Schools has had two elementary buildings make the grade when it comes to ensuring students receive the most important meal of the day. Now a third school is joining them on the list.
Wintersville Elementary, Hills Elementary and Indian Creek Middle School have been recognized among 307 sites in 63 districts statewide for meeting the 2019-20 Ohio Breakfast Challenge and earning Breakfast All-Star awards.
District Food Service Director Eric White said WES and Hills received platinum and gold honors, respectively, while ICMS was a first-timer and named as a Rising Star. Recipients are based on an increase in the number of breakfasts served during the same timeframe between 2018-19 and 2019-20.
White said the elementary schools have had a 90- to 92-percent participation rate while ICMS currently stands at 30 to 35 percent, but this year's figures have dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, some students are working remotely while meal distribution has been altered in the buildings.
"I'm very excited (about the honors) and I'm extremely excited the middle school is on the list this year," White said. "We're doing Breakfast in the Classroom, but we're doing it differently so the numbers are way down."
He said students collect their meals as they arrive at school instead of having food delivered to their classrooms. The Breakfast in the Classroom concept helps pupils transition to lessons faster after dining at their desks and they can focus on their studies better since they have nourished their bodies. Officials said it has been shown to improve behavior, concentration and test scores while decreasing absenteeism, anxiety and visits to the school nurse.
ICMS just implemented the practice to restrict gatherings due to the coronavirus and White said interest has been slowly building.
"Up until COVID, participation has been very good. I'm hoping more and more kids will get breakfast," he said. "It's not the same process; they pick up meals as they come through the door. We've done decorating doughnuts on Thursdays (at ICMS) and the staff did a good job of listening to feedback and adjusting the menu so we picked up as many kids as we could."
He noted that a quarter of Indian Creek's estimated 2,100 pupils were also working online, which also contributed to the drop, and right now the number of breakfast participants hovers between 500 to 550 students. Still, he was pleased to see the three schools make the list and said they will receive banners to display at their respective sites.
Meanwhile, Indian Creek Superintendent T.C. Chappelear was also pleased to see the schools gain recognition.
"Congratulations go out to all the staff in these three school buildings. It takes the teachers, custodians and cafeteria staff all working together to earn this award," Chappelear said. "I think it shows how we cooperate for the good of our kids at Indian Creek. We care and we do the right things right."
The Ohio School Breakfast Challenge is a partnership between the American Dairy Association Mideast, Ohio Department of Education, Children's Hunger Alliance, School Nutrition Association of Ohio and Action for Healthy Kids. Information and a listing of the recipients can be found at www.ohioschoolbreakfastchallenge.com.