Lourdes Yparraguirre, Food Educator and Service Member, has been changing the way kids feel about nutrition and food. When I first spoke with Lourdes, she was conducting a taste test for a new recipe she was hoping to incorporate into the school menu. The recipe was a cucumber salad, Lourdes has modified it to the students’ taste. The salad is a mix of pineapple, cucumber, lemon, mint, and onion. Parents with students in the Dual Language Program came together to recreate the dish later that same day.
Taste tests are conducted once a month, and have been utilized to help introduce new menu items for students. Lourdes and Kimberly Castaneda work together to collect and compile the data used to create the posters with the results. The big idea behind them is to add new recipes that will encourage students to eat more vegetables.
The second time I came to visit the cafeteria, it was during the monthly Food Waste Audits. Lourdes reports that since the first audit almost two years ago food waste has trended down. However, month to month, it depends on the school’s menu. The purpose behind these audits is to inform the students of where they are being wasteful and encourage them to limit school lunch waste.
Not only does our nutrition staff help students think about sustainability, Lourdes also offers engaging lessons and resources for healthful living. Two of our Dual-Language Classrooms even had the opportunity to visit the Umapine Creamery for a lesson this year!
In one lesson, kids visited the garden at MHES and recycled containers to make planters. Lourdes reports that there are many benefits she can see once the garden is up and running. Students will be able to gain knowledge about gardening, harvesting, but also about the life cycle and benefits of different fruits and vegetables. Kimberly and Lourdes worked together to transplant the seedlings from the Umatilla High School greenhouse to the MHES Garden.
With this, students are allowed the opportunity to learn within that field; It can help spark a connection with, or nurture an existing love for nutrition or agriculture. It’s no secret there are many opportunities for agricultural work in this area. Lourdes believes we should use that to our advantage, and inform students about careers that they can have that are close to home. This way, students can continue to build our community for the next generations.
Lourdes hopes to incorporate basic technology into the garden soon. Eventually, she would like to see parents volunteer to manage the garden, and teachers planting something for the community. While most planters will be used to grow produce, some of the planters were left without irrigation intentionally. The reason for this is to leave the space available for a student who may not want to plant anything. This way, they can still connect with the soil and feel the earth. I am hopeful that one day the MHES Garden will sustain the MHES Cafeteria and continue to inspire and nourish students.
