As part of a civic education project, three Sagamore Middle School students researched the benefit of introducing water to school lunches.
Eighth graders Jason Damiano, Kacey Geluso, and Anthony Sacco, under the guidance of social studies teacher Jill Bongiorno, are working toward a Seal of Civic Readiness on their diploma. This designation is awarded by the New York State Department of Education based on a high proficiency in civic knowledge, mindset, and experiences.
The students are proposing that schools should offer bottled water as an option alongside milk for school lunches.
“Most people are surprised to learn that bottled water isn’t already an option with school lunch,” said Sacco. “It should be a simple switch. But, what we thought was a Sachem issue turned out not only to be a NY State issue but a national one.”
While the USDA requires that milk be provided with school lunch, a measure implemented in 1946 by the U.S. government, their research shows that milk consumption has decreased over the past seven decades.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests a healthy eating plate, which includes water as a beverage.
According to a survey conducted by these civic students taken by more than 700 of their peers, 96.4% said they would favor adding water to their lunch as an option.
Damiano, Geluso and Sacco will present their research at the Sachem Board of Education meeting on February 8 to rally support from district leaders on the potential change. They have also been in contact with the New York State PTA and will speak with state and county politicians who represent their school community.
They learned during the research process that community collaboration is the best method to work toward change. They are also learning about the policy development and implementation process.
“We are going to continue to work together to try to implement this positive change for students at Sagamore and in the U.S.,” they said.
UPDATE: On February 8, the students presented at the Sachem Board of Education.
