Lunch ladies (and gents) get their due

Appeal Staff Writer

When it comes to hot lunch, one thing gets Jared Sanders' mouth watering.

"It starts with an 'm,'" the 6-year-old hinted. "It's macaroni! I like it because it has cheese."

Jared is one of about 4,000 students who eat school lunch in Carson City each week. Oct. 13-17 was celebrated as National School Lunch week.

"It's a way to promote healthy meals that are being served to children all over our country," said Mary Ann Barron, cafeteria manager at Fritsch Elementary School. "It draws attention the fact that there's more that goes into a meal than just trying to fill a plate. Everything is planned according to how many nutrients are in the food."

The kids think it tastes good, too.

"They have some good stuff like cookies and pizza," said Emily Lopez, 7. "Those are my favorite things to eat."

They also serve some good stuff like broccoli and pears.

"As they go through the lunch line and they choose what they want, they're learning to make good food choices," Barron said. "They're choosing fresh vegetables and they're choosing fresh fruits."

Fritsch Elementary School also features happy-face days where stickers are placed on random trays. Students who receive a tray with a sticker are given a toy.

Maya Krug, 6, got a special tray during Thursday's lunch period.

"The best thing about hot lunch is that I got this yo-yo," she said, showing it off to her friends.

On Monday, Carson City schools will be serving up pizza, toasted cheese sandwiches, mixed veggies, carrot sticks, rosy pears and graham crackers.