Yabidia Guerra was worried that she was in trouble when Principal Jose Santos and Instructional Specialist Roberto Leyva told her they needed to speak with her in the cafeteria on Friday, May 6. But, when she walked in, the food service attendant at Middle College High School at Felix Fraga was received by a room full of her cheering colleagues as she was presented with the May 2022 Customer Service Impact Award.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Nutrition Services
Waltrip HS honors school lunch heroes
Waltrip High School wrapped up Teacher Appreciation Week on Friday, May 6, with the presentation of a proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner recognizing School Lunch Hero Day. It’s a day of celebration in honor of HISD’s dedicated Nutrition Services staff and the lasting impact their work has on the students they feed every day.
Continue readingLamar senior teaches students about bees at HISD farm
Amongst the blooming plants and swarming insects that lay claim to a sprawling green space in Southwest Houston, stood the youngest of instructors who was developing a buzz all her own.
In her final weeks as a senior at Lamar High School, Lisa Rollinson was tapped to lead educational workshops for nearly two dozen students at the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm.
As one of just five experts selected for the job, Rollinson received the honor after being designated by the Texas Department of Agriculture as one of 12 Health Ambassadors for a Ready Texas. The designation recognizes teens who advocate for healthy lifestyles.
Continue readingHISD launching summer meals program with 10 curbside pickup sites
The Houston Independent School District is launching its 2021 summer meals program this week, in conjunction with the start of summer school.
As part of the summer meals program, Nutrition Services will host weekly curbside student meal pickup at 10 of the district’s highest-need campuses. The distributions will be held at the end of each week and provide students with meals for the weekend, as well as hand sanitizer and reusable masks.
Weekend meals also will be provided to students enrolled in summer school. They will receive no-cost breakfast and lunch at school each day as well as meals to take home for the weekend at the end of each week.
“As we have learned from this past year, we have an overabundance of students from food-insecure households in HISD,” Nutrition Services Officer Betti Wiggins said. “I’m grateful that we’re able to provide this program to help ensure our students continue to have access to good food through the summer.”
Campus curbside pickup locations include:
- Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technical Center, 9400 Irvington Blvd.
- Northside High School, 1101 Quitman St.
- Furr High School, 500 Mercury Drive
- Chavez High School, 8501 Howard Drive
- Milby High School, 1601 Broadway St.
- Washington High School, 4204 Yale
- Braeburn Elementary School, 5550 Pine St.
- Bonham Elementary School, 8302 Braes River Drive
- Almeda Elementary School, 14226 Almeda Road
- Jane Long Academy, 6501 Bellaire Blvd.
The first curbside pickup will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 18. Students will receive two days’ worth of breakfast and lunch to eat over the weekend.
Beginning Thursday, June 24, all remaining pickups will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays to better align with the district’s summer work schedule. On Thursdays, students will receive three days’ worth of breakfast and lunch to eat over the weekend.
The program is slated to run through the end of summer school.
For more information or to find a curbside pickup location near you, visit HoustonISD.org/StudentMeals.
Nutrition Services hosts student workshops during Food & Agriculture Day at Mykawa Farm
Nearly two dozen students craned their necks to see the green plants and bright, booming flowers as their buses arrived Wednesday at the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm.
As they got off the bus, they bounded toward a hollowed-out tree trunk, eager to visit the workstations designed to help them connect classroom science to real-life agriculture, nutrition, and the natural world.
“We’re here today to share with you how food comes from the soil and ends up on your plate,” said Marcus Glenn, Area Manager for Nutrition Services Food and Agriculture Literacy.
The Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm is a working educational farm that integrates nutrition and food science with core curriculum to provide students with hands-on learning experiences.
Continue readingCommunity food distributions end after challenging year
Nearly 1,200 cars and trucks looped around Barnett Stadium under a blazing sun, waiting for their final distribution of family food and household supplies from the Neighborhood Supersite at Barnett Stadium.
First in line was father of seven Enrique Alvarado, who said he was thankful for the support because the pandemic had negatively impacted his job.
“I am grateful that my children were able to get food, especially milk,” he said.
HISD Nutrition Services launched its community food distribution program last March, just days after the district had to close its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue readingBaker Montessori School chicken project something to crow about
As students and staff arrive each morning at Baker Montessori School, they’re cheerfully greeted with a flock of clucking chickens.
The laying hens bob their heads up and down, trilling softly as they make their way around the large, enclosed chicken run safely housed near the gym. Some begin squawking, having laid their daily egg in the nesting area.
They waddle toward the entry and peck at the ground as a small group of students from Baker — formerly known as Wilson Montessori School — comes in to visit.
Continue readingBaker Montessori School students use garden to learn real-world science lessons
On sunny weekends, parents and students gather in the Baker Montessori School garden where they pull on gloves and grab rakes and trowels to remove weeds and leaves from the musky soil.
The students at Baker — formerly called Wilson Montessori School — are learning to grow fragrant flowering herbs and study their uses. Once the flowers bloom, students will cut some of the plants and infuse them in oil or dry them to make spices or teas.
Continue readingCommunity food distribution program ending, campus curbside pickup to continue through end of school year
With just three weeks left in the school year and public health conditions improving across the city, the Houston Independent School District is preparing to shut down its Neighborhood Supersite community food distribution program.
The two final distributions will be held this Wednesday, May 26, 2021 and next Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Both will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. at Barnett Stadium, 6800 Fairway Drive. No further Saturday distributions are scheduled.
Continue readingHISD school lunch heroes honored with city proclamation
Dozens of Nutrition Services employees gathered by black tents as cars snaked through the parking lot at Barnett Stadium – a Neighborhood Supersite where families can pick up student meals, family food boxes, and household supplies.
But this Wednesday, the team was surprised with a proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner designating Friday, May 7, 2021 as HISD National School Lunch Hero Day.
“Today, we celebrate Nutrition Services employees,” Interim Co-Chief Operating Officer Eugene Salazar said as he presented the proclamation. “This proclamation acknowledges your outstanding achievements and unwavering dedication to families and students in our community.”
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