| Students Talk to Students About Breakfast  WINNER: PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT/ARAMARK
Entry: Breakfast Commercial Contest
The Big Idea: Adults (at least some of them) know the importance of a healthy breakfast, but communicating that message to youngsters can sometimes come across as nagging. So, who better to send the message without the adult baggage than other youngsters? That was the idea behind the Breakfast Commercial Contest sponsored by Aramark and the Philadelphia School District for which Aramark is the foodservice provider. The initiative challenged 37 communications students from the Roxborough, Edison, Northeast and the Creative & Performing Arts High School to create 30- and 60-second TV commercials encouraging students to start their days off right by eating breakfast. The winner, as judged by a panel of district and Aramark officials, community leaders, faculty and school staff, was called "Kick Start" and featured four students discussing the benefits of eating breakfast. Its designer received a $1,000 college scholarship from the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and was aired on local TV stations during National School Breakfast Week this past March. Aramark plans to run the contest again at many of its managed districts during National School Breakfast Week in 2008.
Project Team: School District of Philadelphia—Wayne Grasela (Director-Food Service); Aramark Education—Lauren Schulz (Marketing Manager), Andre Obendorfer (General Manager), Kass Picozzi (Associate Manager); Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association—Jessica Pomraning |
| NSLP Application Drive Set to Music  WINNER: PAWTUCKET & NEWPORT (RI) SCHOOL DISTRICTS/SODEXHO SCHOOL SERVICES
Entry: Feeding Rhode Island's Future
The Big Idea: In an effort to erase the stigma of applying for the National School Lunch Program free/reduced meal plan, Sodexho and the Pawtucket and Newport school districts enlisted the aid of some local radio personalities popular with students. They worked with Citadel Communications Corp., parent company of the local Hot 106 radio station and enlisted the support of Rhode Island Credit Union as a major sponsor, to put together a pair of free/reduced application events at which Hot 106 radio personalities came tothe school and interacted with students. They played games, took musical requests, talked to the students about healthy eating and encouraged them to complete and turn in NSLP applications. The two-day event was held in the Tolman High School cafeteria in Pawtucket during successive day lunch periods. Students turning in applications were entered in a drawing for prizes like movie tickets, CDs, t-shirts and duffle bags. The result: an immediate 18-percent increase in the number of students participating in the lunch program. In addition, a fifth of those students also had siblings at other schools who were also eligible for the free/reduced meals.
Project Team: Solange Morrissette (Sodexho General Manager of Food Services); Thomas Conlon (Business Manager-Pawtucket School District); Citadel Communications Corp.; Rhode Island Credit Union |
