Lynbrook Collegial Circle Gives Students Food for Thought

A group of ten Lynbrook High School teachers created a collegial circle project called “Food for Thought.” This interdisciplinary lesson got students involved in looking at nutrition from many different points of view by using their math, science, art, film, design, debate and advocacy skills.

At the end of the program the students and their teachers put together a show
at the high school art gallery, featuring children’s books about nutrition, hydroponic gardening systems, designs for healthy kids’ meal boxes, healthy menu designs and a rooftop garden design. They also created a website and a video that documented the entire experience.

Students in Jennifer Turner’s Photo Illustration & Communications Lab joined
forces with students in Allison Goodman’s Communications Lab classes to write and illustrate children’s books about healthy food choices.

In Jane Colgan’s health class, students created “Health Behavior Contracts” with
the goal of improving their overall wellness. Many chose to change their relationships with food. They explored and debated various attitudes toward food, obesity, additives and more.

Students in Paul Rotstein’s technology class participated in the “Indoor Garden”
design challenge, designing and constructing hydroponic gardening systems that would operate without a need for soil. Then students in Lauren Regianato’s consumer science class used the gardens to grow fresh herbs and spices that are free from pesticides.

Under Ms. Regianato’s guidance, students in the Culinary Arts Club planted a rooftop vegetable garden and explored healthy recipes using spinach, kale, arugula,
lettuce, sugar snap peas, carrots and strawberries. Students in her food and nutrition classes used computer graphics to design visual representations of each food group, then applied their newfound knowledge to compete in a healthy pizza cook-off.

Participants in the Globe Club and Culinary Arts Club created a vegan cookbook
to help other teens understand the vegan diet and how it relates to personal nutrition and the planet.

In Laura Devine’s government class, students were given the task to create a series of informational pamphlets as part of a multi-pronged plan to involve families, schools and government in a program to promote and regulate nutrition and health.

Debates were held in Carol-Ann Pryor’s Living Environment class to discuss
scientific advances, such as genetic engineering, that are affecting the food we eat. Prior to the debate, students studied genetically modified organisms from the point of view of the consumer, the geneticist, the organic farmer, the environmentalist, and the CEO of the agricultural company Monsanto.

AP Environmental Science students worked with teacher Christopher Pipia to
investigate the science of genetically modified foods. They explored how pesticides
affect food productivity, the environment and health.

In Joanne Fennessy’s applied math class, students kept a food journal to chart
their daily caloric intake, then created graphs and calculated percentages in order to reflect on how they can choose healthier alternatives. They also researched healthy and unhealthy selections at local eateries and created menus showing the calories and cost of each selection.

Susan Ehrlich’s Advertising & Marketing students analyzed food marketing campaigns aimed at children and teenagers. Then they created their own original ad campaigns to get kids to eat healthier foods.

Students in Kelle Barth’s Spanish class contributed to the project by studying the food culture of Spain and preparing typical Spanish foods such as tapas. They also
created Spanish-language public services announcements about healthy eating.

This article was submitted by Rosemary Leonetti of Syntax, public relations firm for the Lynbrook School District.