Media Advisory - School Breakfast Week March 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact:

Dan Hollar

Public Affairs Administrator

Boise School District

208.854.4064

dan.hollar@boiseschools.org

Boise School District Celebrates School Breakfast Week and Encourages More Students to Begin their Day with a Healthy Breakfast

Local Events to Showcase Benefits of School Breakfast

Boise, Idaho - March 1, 2019 - March 4-8, 2019 is School Breakfast Week and to help celebrate a number of local events and activities will be held in the Boise School District.

Advantages of Providing Students School Breakfast

According to the latest data from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), moving school breakfast to after the bell is one of the most effective strategies to ensure children have access to a nutritious breakfast. The FRAC School Breakfast Report for Large School Districts (released last week) ranked Boise School District as 5th in the nation when meeting FRAC’s goal of supporting low-income children with school breakfast!

Research shows that eating breakfast at school improves academic performance, health, and behavior. That’s why Boise School District is serving over 8,400 breakfasts daily to students in the District. School nutrition professionals in Boise School District prepare breakfast, and lunches, every day that meet federal nutrition standards – limiting fat, calories and sodium – and encourage students to choose from the fruits, vegetables, and whole grains offered with school meals.

“A healthy breakfast is a great way to ensure students are getting the best education they can,” said Peggy Bodnar, supervisor, Food & Nutrition Services, Boise School District. “National School Breakfast Week is the perfect time for us to further educate parents and students about the benefits, like higher test scores and better attendance records, of good nutrition.”

The 2019 National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) campaign theme, “Start Your Engines,” reminds the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. Students will be encouraged to show their enthusiasm for “Start Your Engines” from March 4-8 with special menus, cafeteria events, and more. Food & Nutrition Services will be testing several new breakfast items, including Ham & Egg Breakfast Paninis at secondary schools and Sunny Fresh Breakfast Tacos at elementary schools. Special events will include coloring contests and random prizes for students participating in school breakfast.

Local Events Celebrating School Breakfast Week

On Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at 9:40 a.m. at South Junior High, 3101 Cassia St, Boise, ID 83705, the Governor’s Proclamation regarding Idaho School Breakfast Week 2019 will be read and presented by Dr. Linda Clark, President of the Idaho State Board of Education.

On Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Fairmont Junior High, 2121 N Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83704, there will be school breakfast raffles and the Governor’s Proclamation will be read over the school’s public address system by the ‘voice of BSU Football’ Bill Kloppenburg and presented to the school nutrition staff.

On Friday, March 8, 2019 at 8:15 a.m. at Frank Church High School, 8051 W. Salt Creek Ct., Boise, ID 83709 a special event featuring students participating in Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) will be held. The event will showcase the value of the BIC program to students and allow local news media representatives the opportunities to videotape students and Food Service staff involved in the program. Visuals include breakfast being served to Frank Church High School students and interview opportunities with students and staff. To commemorate the event, the Governor’s Poclamation recognizing March 4-8 as Idaho School Breakfast Week will be read and presented by Boise School District Superintendent Dr. Don Coberly.

About Boise's Breakfast in the Classroom

This school year, Boise School District was awarded grant funds of more than $40,000 from ‘Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom’ to promote breakfast participation with alternative breakfast services including ‘breakfast after the bell’ and ‘breakfast in the classroom’. All students at the three schools awarded (Fairmont Jr. High, South Jr. High and Frank Church High School), receive meals at no charge and are offered grab and go breakfast they can take into their classrooms. Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom is a joint initiative from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation (NAESPF), the NEA Foundation and School Nutrition Foundation (SNF)—to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program.

To learn more about the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom or to apply for a grant, visit Boise School District Food & Nutrition website or www.breakfastintheclassroom.org.

About Boise School District

Boise School District is a nationally recognized, high performing public school system. We provide each and every student the opportunity to receive a comprehensive liberal arts education. Today, our students have more choices and educational opportunities than ever before. From pre-k to college and career prep offerings such as Advanced Placement, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), Dual-Credit and Career-Technical, as well as elementary focus programs including Montessori, Dual-Language Immersion and Classical, Boise Schools offer the educational access and experience students need to be successful.

The results are impressive:

For the tenth year in a row, Boise, Borah, Capital and Timberline are ranked near the top of the Washington Post’s list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools.
Our students outperform Idaho and the nation on standardized tests, college entrance exams and Advanced Placement testing.
Our college-going rate (69%) is one of the highest in the state and exceeds the state.
90% Graduation rate that exceeds the state and nation.
More National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalists than any other District in the state.
Nationally recognized music program.
Nationally recognized career and technical education program.
Two nationally accredited AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Demonstration Schools.
Some of the state's highest performing elementary schools.
Timberline and Boise High Schools recognized as being among our countries top high schools by U.S. News & World Reports, Newsweek, Great Schools, TheBestSchools.org, etc.
Countless statewide or national recognition for individual schools, students and staff.
31 AP providing thousands of secondary students with rigorous and relevant coursework to prepare them for college and career success.
Committed to preparing students for success in college, career and in life.
High quality teaching staff - 68% of our teachers hold a Master’s Degree; the average teaching experience in the District is 14 years and almost 50% of our teachers have 16 years of experience or more.

Boise School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to all individuals. Learn more...