Nicole Horn
Last year marked the beginning of a new healthier choice in the Fort Frances High School cafeteria as the school changed the lunch menu to follow new nutritional guidelines.
A year later, the question is how well is the new cafeteria working.
From some students’ perspective, the new caf is not the greatest. They preferred the old cafeteria, where you could buy anything you wanted at any time of the day.
The biggest thing that almost all the students miss were the cookies. Fresh out of the oven and nice and gooey, they were the perfect second-period snack.
However, there are some good reviews.
“It’s good, it’s a healthy choice. I’m happy with it,” said Grade 11 student Sara Bagacki.
The new cafeteria may not offer as much as the old one, but it offers good portions which are prepared very well.
All of the food in the cafeteria is prepared by students in the hospitality class taught by Kelly Connor.
Fort High teacher Rob Donaldson thinks they are meeting the new guidelines and creating a great choice of variety.
“I like that they’re meeting the challenges of the nutritional guidelines,” he remarked.
“They show you can do that and make food teens would like.”
Donaldson also noted that since the cafeteria is now using plastic plates instead of paper ones, there is less garbage, which is better for the environment.
“It involves students in hands-on learning experiences,” echoed Fort High principal Peg Keffer.
Granted, things were rocky at the beginning. There were deadlines that had to be met and at times, students were cooking right until the bell and then rushing the food down to the cafeteria.
Some of the students said it was stressful because you were cooking for the whole school and if you didn’t finish something, then there would be kids going hungry.
Still, the students all say the class is like a job. It teaches you basic culinary skills, what it takes to feed a group of hungry people, and time management skills.
Another plus to the new cafeteria is that it costs only $4 for a meal coupon. If you go out to lunch at a fast-food place, a full meal almost always is $6 or more.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Fort High student Dexter Fichuk.
“But if kids really wanted to eat out, it’s all within walking distance,” he reasoned.
