Grant serves up more healthy options for Somerville students

By Vanessa Smith

  Tammy Potter took her second-grade son out of the John F. Kennedy Elementary school breakfast program because he was gaining weight. ‚ÄúThey had bagels and cream cheese every day,‚Äù Potter said. ‚ÄúThe lunches were about the same.‚Äù
   Those unhealthy meals are becoming more nutritional thanks to the Shape Up Somerville program. The program was made possible by the Physical Education for Progress (PEP) Grant from Tufts University. In 2004 the grant awarded Somerville 1.3 million dollars over three years.
   The PEP Grant aims to fight obesity and physical inactivity in children, particularly those in grades 4-8. ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs intended to be spent on broadening PE education and activities during school and after school,‚Äù said Bob Snow, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

   A variety of programs have been implemented in Somerville schools, including new physical education classes, gardening clubs and even cooking classes. Students are required to complete a fitness test in February and a ‚Äúfitness progress report‚Äù will be sent to their parents to describe how the children are doing.
   The progress report measures the child‚Äôs ability to be active over a period of time and also measures his or her body mass index percentile (BMI). BMI is how a person‚Äôs height and weight compares against a person of the same age. ‚ÄúMy kids love it,‚Äù said Ellen Conte, who has a son in the fifth grade. ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs nice to get weight checks to see where your child is. I found it very helpful.‚Äù 
    Although the program‚Äôs main focus is increasing Somerville elementary school students‚Äô physical activity, it is also working to increase the nutritional value of meals. One PEP-sponsored club is   ‚ÄúThe Restaurant,‚Äù in which students make their own healthy meals and eat them in a mock restaurant. ‚ÄúI think it‚Äôs a great idea,‚Äù said Annmarie Invernizzi, a parent of a JFK student. ‚ÄúIt‚Äôd be even better if they could get the kids away from the TV and computer.‚Äù
    Currently, students in grades 4 through 8 at Somerville public schools have the option of choosing a healthy lunch. For example, this month students could choose tuna on wheat, chicken teriyaki salad or fruit salad instead of the usual pizza and chicken nuggets.
     Even the regular lunch options are served with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Whether or not the students are eating the healthy lunches remains to be seen in their fitness progress reports. In the meantime, administrators are hopeful about the possibilities of the PEP grant. ‚ÄúWe‚Äôre trying to use the money provided by the grants to create as many programs as possible,‚Äù said Snow.