Q: The province will launch a “new Food and Nutrition in Nova Scotia Schools” policy in the next few months, but your school seems to be ahead of the curve. What inspired you to change the food and drink at Dartmouth High?
A: I attended a lecture given by my niece, a pediatrician and anti-obesity spokesperson. As she talked about the positive effects that good nutrition can have on young people, and the negative effects of poor nutrition, it struck me that as a principal, school was a place where I could initiate changes that would improve the nutrition of young people.
Q: What did you change first?
A: I asked my niece what we should change and she said that the first step is to ensure proper hydration. That meant getting rid of the pop in the drink machines, replacing it with water. We also had to change a school-wide rule—no food or drink in halls or classrooms—so that students could drink water anywhere in the school.
Q: So after the pop came the cafeteria?
A: Yes. We gradually began taking the fatty, non-nutritious daily specials—like poutine and hotdogs—and replacing them with healthier options, like salads, sandwiches made on whole wheat bread. You’ll still find cookies and cinnamon buns, but you won’t find candy, chocolate bars or potato chips.
Q: What about special “theme days”?
A: There are still ways of having special food days and making the food healthy. A Mexican day would be a good example, because you can put a lot of healthy food—chicken, lean ground beef, veggies, beans— into a whole wheat tortilla. It’s still “special” compared to a sandwich, but it’s healthy too.
Q: Have the changes been successful?
A: It’s hard to say if we’re winning or losing. We’re still competing with the local fast food outlets, but by offering an alternative we’re making a statement about the importance of good nutrition to a healthy lifestyle. And I think that’s getting through to the kids.
Q: What has the biggest challenge been?
A: Well, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword: the revenues from the pop machines and cafeteria food go to support extra-curricular programming at the school, and since we changed from pop to water we’ve seen a decrease of about 30 percent in the money we raise. We expect the revenues will gradually increase again, but we’re having to be more creative in our fund-raising so that we can continue to run those programs.
Q: Do you eat the cafeteria food?
A: I sure do—though not in the cafeteria. I usually have a sandwich or salad, jello and water. I try to practice what I preach.
This article appears in Apr 20-26, 2006.