Mini Symposium on School Nutrition Education

Local Foods: A Tool for Nutrition and Food Systems Education (2:00 – 3:00 p.m.)

This interactive session will focus on the growing farm to school movement in schools as a means of including local foods in cafeterias and classrooms. Learn about innovative educational programs using local foods as tools for educating students about nutrition and healthy eating, local agriculture and cultural connections with food; and creating awareness in parents and consumers. Impacts of this approach on students, parents and consumers will be highlighted. The audience will participate in a short hands-on activity aimed at building skills for using local foods in education. A Farm to School Resource Packet will be provided.

Speakers: Emily Jackson, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Anupama Joshi, MS, Center for Food & Justice, Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, Occidental College

Nutrition Education Works! (Especially When Modeled in School Cafeteria Offerings!) (3:00 – 4:00 p.m.)

The Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren (HOPS) Study assists school districts in fulfilling local wellness policy mandates by thematically integrating nutrition and lifestyle educational curricula, nutritious school dietary offerings, and other school projects, with the goal of improving the health and academic achievement of elementary-aged children. By bringing together nutrition educators, school foodservice, university researchers, and nonprofit foundations in a unique partnership, statistically significant improvements in weight and blood pressure measures of children are realized. Come learn about HOPS programming and healthy results, and how your organization can join the HOPS partnership to address childhood obesity in your community.

Speakers: Michele DiBono, Agastson Research Foundation; Michelle Lombardo, DC, The OrganWise Guys Incorporated; Bonnie Rowe

Celebrating Family Food Decision Making Collaborations for Change

Increasing healthy food consumption is often a goal for health professionals. This program focuses on fostering effective partnerships among families, food system stakeholder, and nutrition educators to increase the availability, accessibility, appreciation, and thus consumption of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. The session will combine presentations with small group discussions. It will focus on strategies and principles for effective partnerships. Following the session, participants will be able to identify potential partners and identify successful partnership strategies.

Speakers: Susan Crockett (invited), Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills; Kathleen Dischner, EdM, RD, CDN, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County; Holly Gump, MS, CDN, CLC, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County ; Helen Howard , MS , RD, CDN, Cornell Cooperative Extension

of Tompkins County; Rebecca Mullis (invited), Georgia State University; Laura E. Smith, BS, Cornell University