Some of the best educational lessons are experienced when students get out of the classroom and witness the lesson live and in person. Pre-K, first and second graders in Texas enjoyed tours of working school kitchens and school foodservice warehouse to gain an understanding of the inner workings and processes of the industry.
First and second graders from the Cable and Westwood Terrace elementary schools in San Antonio toured the Northside Independent School District’s food warehouse, where they experienced an interactive lesson on food systems. Staff members explained how local foods are grown, processed and go through the supply chain before being served to students.
“We wanted our young students to have a better understanding of how agricultural products can be used and the various steps they go through before reaching consumers,” said Risa Trevino, Northside Independent School District Child Nutrition Senior Operations Manager. “We gave the students a tour of our cold and dry storage areas, and warehouse workers demonstrated how forklifts are used to raise, lower and move boxes in the warehouse. They were able to see how food is assembled on pallets and loaded in our trucks so they can be delivered to schools.”
Trevino said student feedback was overwhelmingly positive and that they enjoyed seeing the school meals they eat each day from a different perspective. The field trip was the first of its kind in five years and Trevino hopes to schedule similar field trips in the future. The Northside Independent School District has 120 feeding sites serving more than 90,000 meals daily.
Meanwhile, pre-k students at El Paso Independent School District’s Douglass, Powell and Whitaker elementary schools were treated to a special visit and tour of one of its kitchens. The students were introduced to each piece of equipment and received a detailed explanation of its function. Tour stops included the serving line, cooking and dishwashing stations and coolers and freezers, and students witnessed how foods served to students are ordered and stored. They even enjoyed a tasty treat at the conclusion of the tour.
“Our young students get excited about the kitchen tours and you hear them still talking about it the next day as they entered the lunch line,” said Director of Food and Nutrition Services, El Paso Independent School District Laura Duran. “It’s a valuable lesson for them to see the large kitchen, large equipment and witness where their meals are prepared daily. The teachers also love getting the kids out of the classroom.”
The El Paso Independent School District features 75 schools, approximately 48,000 enrolled students and their food service teams produce about 50,000 meals per day.
The warehouse and kitchen tours will have a lasting influence on the young students. The experience provides them with an informed view of what they eat at school each day, including an understanding of where their food is grown, how it is ordered, prepared and served to them when they need refueling during the school day.
