TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Every day at Hort Elementary, students eat fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain foods and three days a week are treated with a salad bar.

In class they discuss nutrition and fitness, and after meals and at PE they walk the track. Each week the campus hosts a farmers market where students can sample foods. They’re encouraged to continue those healthy living habits outside of school.

For the school-wide efforts, Hort has been awarded the national U.S. Department of Agriculture “gold medal of distinction” in the Healthy Challenge Program. It’s one of only seven California public schools to be awarded the top honor this year.

Bakersfield City School District officials now are seeing how they can replicate Hort’s program at the other 39 BCSD campuses, said Brenda Robinson, director of food services for BCSD.

That will take time because the initiative requires more staffing, equipment and new contracts with suppliers, for example.

“Hort Elementary School is among the very best — going above and beyond the minimum requirements to help ensure your students live full and active lives,” First Lady Michelle Obama wrote in a letter to the school.

The program is part of Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign that recognizes schools creating healthier environments through promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. The “gold award of distinction” award comes with a $2,000 prize, a plaque signed by a USDA official, a banner to display, and the school name listed on the program website.

On Wednesday, cafeteria staff prepared lunchtime meals for 650 hungry students. At one time, 200 students will stroll through the line in just about 10 minutes, and munch healthy foods in the cafeteria.

Kern County Department of Public Health Director Matt Constantine was there to see first-hand what makes Hort special, and serve students lunch. Hort’s program is important for Kern County, a place that ranks second in the state in diabetes and first in heart disease, he said.

A school is a perfect spot to teach students about healthy living, he said, and start making a change in the rankings.  

“We don’t want to be leading in those categories,” Constantine said. “This one small school is making a difference.”

And school officials said students are enjoying the program — participating in exercise activities and having more eating options. Some have started calling the fruit “nature’s candy,” cafeteria workers said.  

Hort was chosen to host the pilot program for the district. BCSD officials hope to implement the menu changes, salad bars and curriculum districtwide, but the first goal is to get more fruits and vegetables offered at all campus, Robinson said.

Schools throughout the area have instituted measures to make meals healthier and curriculum more active. Recently, local school districts particated in the School Chef Showdown, a cooking competition with the goal to make the tastiest nutritious school meal.

Next Wednesday, state and elected officials and federal program representatives will visit Hort and officially present the school with the award.