Alva Review-Courier -

Verleta Eckels is hoping a greater array of food options will increase participation in the Alva schools' lunch program.

All second-grade through 12th-grade students will have more foods to choose from as they head back to school this year. In the past, they just had the main meal at the lower grades with small salad bars at Lincoln Elementary, Alva Middle School (AMS) and Alva High School.

Now, students in those grades will be able to select from a broader menu of foods.

“One day, for example, we're going to have pancakes,” said Eckels. “If the kid doesn't like pancakes, he can take a turkey ham and cheese sandwich or a turkey and cheese sandwich in place of the pancakes. The student still has to accept a fruit or a vegetable and one other item in order to meet the federal guidelines.”

All schools will have fresh fruit available, so a student could take an apple or banana or whatever fresh fruit is available.

Although the schools offer breakfast, the focus right now is on the lunch program. “We're not changing anything at this time regarding breakfast,” said Eckels. “Later on, after we get the lunch figured out, we might add some more breakfast options.”

Reimbursable Meals

The federal government reimburses schools for meals that meet certain nutritional guidelines. The reimbursement levels vary, depending on families' income levels.

That reimbursement is an important component of the school district's finances. But for the school to get this money, students must choose foods that meet the nutritional guidelines of the federal program. For example, if a student chooses the turkey ham and cheese sandwich, and then selects an apple, banana and one other item, that would be a reimbursable meal.

“Three items are served at breakfast, so the student must choose two of those three. At lunch, they need to choose three of the five items,” Eckels said.

“Also, every day we're offering a ham chef salad, a chicken chef salad, and a yogurt salad. Those will be reimbursable meals by themselves. So if they choose one of the salads, they don't have to take anything else (to make it a reimbursable meal), unless they want to add a milk.” The three salads will be available for second through 12th graders.

Food Service Accounts

“In the past, Alva High School offered à la carte items such as popcorn chicken or baked chips. This year, à la carte items will be offered at the middle school also. By the way, AMS students will need money in their food account (or have cash) to add à la carte items,” said Eckels, adding, “money in their account will make the line go more smoothly.”

Deposits to the food service account can be made online using a credit/debit card. This is the second year for this popular service. To set this up, call the school for more information and to obtain a student identification number.

Eckels urges parents to make larger deposits instead of a bunch of small deposits because a small transaction fee is charged for each deposit. Also, families with children in more than one school can make a single deposit to fund all of them, further reducing transaction fees. If a family moves or the end of the school year happens, any deposit balance over $5 will be refunded to parents who complete a refund request form.

Making It All Work

All in all, providing nutritious meals that students will actually eat, and covering the cost of all those meals, is no small feat, but Eckels is determined to achieve it.

“We are now part of a large buying group that even includes Oklahoma City schools, and that will help reduce food costs so we can provide more choices,” she said.

And to keep the school compliant with the national school meals programs, servers at each school will try to observe what each student is selecting so that the nutritional criteria for reimbursable meals is met.

“By providing greater variety, including the three salad options, hopefully this will increase meal participation, and students will eat what they pick,” said Eckels.

With Eckels' determination and her staff's hard work, students will have the full bellies they need so that teachers can feed their minds.