Fueling a revolution, one lunchbox at a time

  • Published: 10/27/2009 9:18:50 AM
  • Last Updated: 10/29/2009 10:52:51 AM
Photo By: Charissa BernardPeaceful protest
Woodburn Academy of Art, Science and Technology seniors (from left to right) Cynthia Gudino, Pavel Timofeyev and Ana Munoz led the charge Oct. 22 to bring lunches from home instead of eating the school’s free cafeteria meals. They wanted to send a peaceful message to school administration that the meals being served in the cafeteria are neither filling, healthy nor improving.
WOODBURN — A group of Woodburn Academy of Art, Science and Technology high school students are taking on school lunches. Nicknamed the “Lunch Box Revolution,” the students are not out to play the blame game, but they are out to effect change on their lunch trays, kick-started by a school lunch strike Oct. 22 and 23.
 
“I think it encourages the students to think for themselves now and get independent,” said WAAST senior Cynthia Gudino, who helped organize the revolution. “A lot of people got excited about the idea and they’re bringing their own lunches from home and they seem happier.”
 
Gudino’s senior classmates Pavel Timofeyev and Ana Munoz also helped rally students to bring their own lunches from home last Thursday and Friday, hoping the peaceful demonstration would raise the attention of school administration.
 
“If we don’t eat, they lose money,” said Timofeyev, who is also the editor of the WAASTonian school newspaper. “If (the strike is) a big thing and (the administrators) see that the whole school is concerned about it … then they are going to take it into consideration.”
 
This statement was made, at least on Thursday when, instead of the usual line of over 300 students at WAAST’s lunch, only about 50 students trickled through the lunch line.
 
“Lunch was down considerably,” said WAAST Principal Geri Federico, who supervises the lunch line every afternoon. “Kids very quietly and orderly just brought their lunches in. … There were no statements made, no demands made, kids just simply decided to make another choice for Thursday and Friday in terms of lunch.”
 
For both days, WSD Nutrition Service Supervisor Cheryl Teschner reported that lunches at the high school were down approximately 20 percent, with nearly the entire deficit seen at the WAAST lunch.
 
As Timofeyev mentioned, this 20 percent will cost the district reimbursement of federal funds. Because the Woodburn School District has such a high rate of students eligible for free meals, the district participates in a provision of the National School Lunch Program. Due to this provision, all students, regardless of individual eligibility, are able to receive meals free of charge. The district receives reimbursement from the federal government for the amount of lunches served.
 
“At this point, I’m not sure we do have money if it means that something is going to cost significantly more,” said WSD Superintendent Walt Blomberg. “I think right now, we are sort of at that break-even point and we may not have the money to invest in what the kids would think as better options.”
 
The options students are looking for are basic: larger portions and better selection. Last year, WAAST students also submitted a petition to Blomberg, stating the changes they desired. In the spring, the district set up the Bulldog Bite, where the Nutrition Services Department brought in a selection of vendors and then polled students about what foods they preferred. Unfortunately, when the nutrition services supervisor at the time, Bruce Hall, moved out of the district in the summertime, the Bulldog Bite information and promised changes seemed to go with him.
 
“We thought we had a bright future coming, we thought we were going to have good lunches,” Timofeyev said about the students’ expectations for change this year. “There are so many people that thought there was going to be a change.”
 
“Quite honestly, what the kids are upset about is absolutely true, nothing seemed to occur as a result of (the Bulldog Bite),” said Federico.
 
Blomberg also acknowledged that the district unintentionally dropped the ball amid the hiring of Teschner and a new head cook at the high school.
 
“Obviously, the kids’ expectations about things were greater than what we could deliver,” he said. “I think the disconnect of another supervisor coming in, another head cook coming in, that all the communication that maybe could have, should have gotten done didn’t happen.”
 
After the Lunch Box Revolution last week, Federico immediately facilitated a meeting between the student leaders and Teschner to work on finally solving the problem.
 
“I’m always impressed with my students at WAAST; they had very intelligent and meaningful questions,” said Federico, who sat in on the Oct. 23 meeting. “They were very good questions, and shared some concerns and I think that just opening that line of dialogue, that communication made a huge difference.”
 
At the meeting, Teschner explained how funding works for school lunches, the nutritional guidelines the school must adhere to and how food items are budgeted months in advance.
 
“I was very pleasantly surprised with the students,” Teschner said about the meeting. “It was a great learning experience that they got to learn how things operate.”
 
Next, Teschner plans to meet with representatives from student government to determine what changes can be made school-wide.
 
While money is tight, the district is working to improve relations with the students.
 
“I’m hoping that we can provide a lunch program that the kids want to participate in, that is worth them standing in line,” Blomberg said. “I think the work is cut out for Cheryl (Teschner) to see if she can’t get on top of this thing and figure out what can be done.”

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my2cents from woodburn
10/30/2009 5:55:26 AM

BRAVO! Long overdue. Woodburn School Lunch program is ridiculous. The entire program needs to have a serious look, not just the highschool. Free shouldn't have to mean crap, and that's what Woodburn kids are getting. Sorry, but call a spade a spade here... Gervais schools are getting fresh produce straight from the organic farms, our kids get sliced jalapenos and cold fabricated chicken nuggets and "taco pockets" oozing with neon-orange grease and Smucker's Uncrustables?



 
my2cents from woodburn
10/30/2009 5:59:47 AM

My children attend elementary school in Woodburn and their lunches aren't big enough on most days. They get a small item in a flimsy cardboard boat that is supposed to share room with soggy options from a crappy salad bar and the whole mess ends up being one soggy, sloppy joke. I am appalled. I want to be greatful for a free meal and I realize that many families in Woodburn might not be able to afford to pay school lunch at all, but crap is crap and I KNOW that Woodburn can do better.
 
my2cents from woodburn
10/30/2009 6:00:25 AM

I think all parents should boycott Woodburn School lunches until something is done. I am joining these kids. My children will no longer be eating free crap just because it's free.
 
isaig08 from woodburn
11/3/2009 1:52:16 PM

I think its good that students are doing that. Woodburn's school lunches arent the best, and to be serious I think something should be done about that. Like they said why should we have to eat that, just because its free... Something has to be done about that.

(last 7 days)