This year we are excited to announce that we were invited to join Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program, funded by OPI.
Twice a week students are provided an extra snack of a fresh fruit or vegetable. Recently they were provided apples grown by our neighbors, snap peas and celery with hummus. One of the goals of the program is to "expand the variety of fruits and vegetables that children experience."
Even when some students say they 'don't like it' their minds can be changed when so many of their peers are openly enjoying that same food. I watched a student refuse celery, then change his mind when he saw so many of his friends excitedly requesting seconds. Other students looked suspiciously at the hummus yet decided to try it when friends were scooping it up with their fingers to finish the small container. Experimentation is contagious!
Deer Park is blessed to be surrounded by neighboring farmers. Jerry Vick and Brenda Powelson Vick and Gary and Tana Anderson generously donate their produce when it is available. Otherwise, funds are provided for the school to purchase the fruits and vegetables from local farmers markets and grocery stores.
Below are pictures of our 4th grade students and Mrs. Bradstreet enjoying fresh, sweet snap peas.
