Newspaper Page Text
EDUCATION
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, JANUARY 10 - 16, 2019 • Page 12
BY TAYLOR ROBINS
taylor@dekalbchamp.com
Northwest announces fall 2018 Vice
President’s List
The Vice President’s List for the
fall 2018 semester at Northwest
Mississippi Community College has
been released by college officials.
Among the students to be
recognized for making the Vice
President’s List for academic work
during the fall 2018 semester is
Thomas Johnston of Brookhaven.
The Vice President’s List includes
students completing a minimum of
12 semester hours with a 3.50 to 3.74
average.
Campbellsville University
graduates 680 students, largest in
history of the institution
President of Campbellsville
University Dr. Michael V. Carter
told 680 undergraduate and graduate
students in two commencement
ceremonies Dec. 7, the largest in the
history of the university, to thank
those who helped them along their
journey and that their graduation day
will be a day they will remember.
A total of 1,653 students received
diplomas for the 2017-18 academic
year. .
Local students who graduated
were Natoya C. Scott-Blackmore
of Decatur, who earned a master of
social work degree; and Shruthi Rao
Marikanti of Decatur, who achieved
a master of science degree in
information technology management.
Campbellsville University
is a Kentucky-based Christian
university with more than 13,000
students offering more than 90
programs of study, including Ph.D.,
master, baccalaureate, associate,
pre-professional and certification
programs.
Area residents among ICC 2018 fall
semester graduates
Several area residents were among
those who earned associate of arts or
associate of applied science degrees
or certificates at the conclusion of
the 2018 fall semester at Itawamba
Community College.
Cortez Davis of Decatur is a local
student who graduated.
The United States Department of Agriculture announced its final plans to lower nutrition standards for grains, flavored milks and sodium in school
cafeterias.
DCSD to change menus after nutrition
requirements lowered nationwide
Eight years after the Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was
signed into law by then-President
Barack Obama, President Donald
Trump’s administration has plans to
roll back rules for school lunches.
According to the New York
Times, “the United States
Department of Agriculture
announced its final plans to lower
nutrition standards for grains,
flavored milks and sodium in school
cafeterias that were part of the
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of
2010 and that Michelle Obama, the
former first lady, had advocated.”
Nutritional requirement changes
will go into effect July 2019, in time
for the 2019-2020 school year.
According to DeKalb County
School District’s school nutrition
services executive director Connie
Walker, the Healthy, Hunger-Free
Kids act was designed to improve
the nutritional consumption for
students. The act called for an
increase in whole grains, fruits,
vegetables, nonfat and low fat milk.
“I think it’s good,” Walker said.
“I think that rolling back on certain
aspects but not everything is good.
That’s what we’ve done, we’ve
modified the rollbacks.”
Walker said that the biggest
challenge that the district faced
with the nutritional changes was the
increased amount of whole grains to
food items. Among the food items
that students did not like were whole
grain biscuits, grits and breading
on meat items such as nuggets,
according to Walker.
“They would ask for the regular
biscuit we had prior to making the
transition,” said Walker.
Since the announcement of the
rollback, the district has gone back
to the previous biscuits and grits
and the district has seen a 2 percent
increase in breakfast participation
district wide as a result, according to
Walker.
Participation and waste is
measured by customer feedback and
cafeteria managers.
“It’s okay if we can eat certain
foods in moderation,” Walker said.
“I think a gradual change is best.
I think the kids going straight to
whole grain grits [who] had never
been exposed [wasn’t the best way
to introduce the food item]. We
should have had some samplings
and it would have gone over better.”
Another challenge that the
district faced was meeting the
required sodium levels in foods.
“We struggled trying to get our
analysis to meet [the act’s] targets,”
Walker said. “So we’re going to stay
[at the baseline requirement]. We’re
not going to try to reduce sodium
because really it changes the flavor
profile.”
Sodium intake in DCSD schools
are 540 milligrams for breakfast
and 1,230 milligrams for lunch
for the K-5 grade level; Less than
600 milligrams for breakfast and
1,360 milligrams for lunch for the
6-8 grade level; and less than 640
milligrams for breakfast and 1,420
milligrams for lunch for the 9-12
grade level.
The district had the same amount
of sodium in its food before the
2010 act, according to Walker.
DCSD students did respond
favorably to the act’s changes that
include nonfat and low-fat milk.
The district plans to keep its current
milk.
“With the flexibility of the
proposal we can actually go to 1
percent milk,” Walker said. “But
we’re hesitant to do that.”
Walker said that the district may
conduct studies in some schools to
test student respond to 1 percent
milk however.
Other food items from the 2010
act that students like that came with
the 2010 act include kale salad and
roasted cauliflower.
DCSD’s nutrition services plans
to host a food show, where students
can sample foods before final
decisions are made. The food items
will meet nutrition standards. No
date has been set.
“I think it’s a start,” Walker
said. “We’re going to let the kids
help us plan the menu for next year
so we can continue to increase
participation.”
