In order to coincide with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, new changes have been implemented to the district lunch policy.

Each student is required to take a full serving of either a fruit or a vegetable with his or her hot lunch each day to avoid having to pay a higher price for their meal. The Garden Bar has been added to every school, which provides students with a greater selection of both fruits and vegetables. Also, daily calorie limits have been put into place in all district schools. The calorie limit for the high schools is 700-800 calories.

District nutritionist Amy Droegemeier said the new changes have affected teh amount of food used by the district, and that she believes the policy has been successful in the increasing the amount of produce consumed by students.

“We are going through a lot more food than we ever had, especially produce, so we’re assuming that [the students are] taking them and eating them,” Droegemeier said. “I was at Starside Elementary today and I watched them dump their trays and their trays were clean. They ate everything they took. I was shocked.”

Senior Jordan May feels that the new lunch policies will benefit the student body.

“I think the mere fact that they offer…more healthier foods will make students eat better,” May said. “We’re teenagers, we’ll eat anything you give us.”

May says that her own eating habits have become healthier since the new changes.

“I trust in the school to give us healthier foods,” May said. “Now I don’t feel guilty when I finish my entire meal.”

On the other hand, sophomore Cody Deas feels that the changes will have a negative effect.

“I think forcing people to take fruits and vegetables that they don’t like could lead to more wasted food,” Deas said. “Also, more people will probably want to switch to getting pizza, which won’t make lunch any healthier.”

Droegemeier said she and her staff are always willing to listen to students’ suggestions.

“We’re always open for ideas, so if a student has an idea, they are always welcome to talk to me or my staff,” Droegemeier said. “We exist for you guys.”