School Teams at 2011 Food Day Youth Summit

Each team created a Food Action Project for its school. (Tara Freeman photo)

Teams from 29 schools and youth groups around the Adirondack–North Country region attended GardenShare's Food Day Youth Summit on October 24, 2011. At the summit, each team chose a Food Action Project to implement during the coming year in its school or community. Projects ranged from creating a school wellness committee to raising a pig using food scraps from the school cafeteria. Here are summaries:

Brushton-Moira Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Perform a school lunch survey and use results to create one-day lunch menus of local and organic foods.

Canton Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Work with the school food committee to provide more fresh, local, and organic school lunch offerings.

Clifton-Fine Central School
TBA

Colton-Pierrepont Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Grow food in the school garden for use in annual Thanksgiving feast; start a gardening club.

Copenhagen Central School (Oneida County)
Start a school garden; make vegetables more accessible and appealing to students in the cafeteria; hold a farmer's market fund-raiser in the spring.

Crown Point Central School (Essex County)
Survey students to determine how much they know about where their food comes from and what foods they want in the cafeteria.

Delaware Academy & Delhi Central School (Delaware County)
Start composting school cafeteria food waste and raise a pig, feeding it cafeteria food scraps.

Edwards-Knox Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Cook "stone soup," with ingredients donated by students; advocate healthy snacks for school athletes traveling to away games.

Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School (Essex County)
Apply for an American Salad Bar grant to upgrade the school salad bar. 

Gouverneur Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Advocate healthy vending machines, salad bar, and cafeteria a la carte choices of local foods.

Hermon-DeKalb Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Expand the school garden and develop a wellness club.

Heuvelton Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Organize a school garden project club.

Indian River High School (Jefferson County)
Create a school garden, involving classes from the entire school.

Keene Central School (Essex County)
Create a poster and write an article for the school newsletter.

LaFargeville Central School (Jefferson County)
Survey students about lunch menu changes and advocate the use of school water fountains.

Lake Clear Home School Group (Franklin County)
Work with seniors in the community garden at their senior housing facility.

Lake Placid Central School (Essex County)
Sponsor monthly "e-days" with environmental activities during lunch; work in the school garden; help middle schoolers become "Fledgling Foodies."

Little River Community School (St. Lawrence County)
Teach two classes to the younger students about food sustainability, nutrition, and local food.

Long Lake Central School (Hamilton County)
Expand the present garden so it can supply school and community members with food.

Morristown Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Survey student opinions about school lunches; publicize local farmers' markets.

Northwood School (Essex)
Create a mission statement with a clear and concise goal regarding food at our school.

Ogdensburg Free Academy (St. Lawrence County)
Expand our garden project; use garden produce to provide healthier choices in the cafeteria.

Potsdam Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Conduct a food-tasting survey about school cafeteria food.

Saranac Lake Central School (Franklin County)
Expand the school garden, partnering with Paul Smiths College to build a greenhouse.

Schroon Lake Central School (Essex County)
Create a school garden and a composting program.

St. Lawrence Central School (St. Lawrence County)
Create a school garden and compost the cafeteria waste.

Tupper Lake High School (Franklin County)
Organize a school wellness committee with the understanding that "students have a right to eat healthy foods."

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Plattsburgh Youth Group (Clinton County)
Provide healthier, locally grown snacks for the religious education program and the church.

Westport Central School (Essex County)
Bring local food to the school cafeteria once a month and expand the school garden.