Fun with Winnebago County Farm to School and Oshkosh Elementary School Gardens

"Teaching children about healthy eating and where our food comes from is just as valuable as teaching them how to read

and write."

— Christine Quinn

Spring is finally here and although we’ve had some crazy weather, students have been working very hard in their school gardens.  Winnebago County Farm to School is partnering with Growing Oshkosh, a non profit organization, to connect with 6 Oshkosh elementary schools. Two years ago, raised beds were installed at Emmeline Cook and Webster Stanley, and last year at Washington Elementary. This year beds were put in at Read, Merrill, and Oaklawn Elementary

In April, all students, ages kindergarten to fifth grade from the 6 Oshkosh elementary schools, sowed seeds (planted seeds in small trays) and kept them in their classroom by their windowsill for a few weeks. Students observed and cared for their plants as they bloomed into beautiful flowers and vegetable plants.  Now in May, students are transplanting their gorgeous plants into their school garden beds. 

Over the summer, volunteers and Growing Oshkosh will tend to the school gardens. If you’re interested in volunteering or helping out with the Oshkosh elementary  school gardens this summer, please contact Jennifer Sattler at growingoshkosh@gmail.com or Emily Verbeten at everbeten@co.winnebago.wi.us, we would love and appreciate your help!

“There is strong evidence that school gardens increase participating children’s vegetable consumption and willingness to try new vegetables (Langellotto GA, Gupta A. Gardening increases vegetable consumption in school-aged children: A meta-analytical synthesis. HortTechnology. 2012;22(4):430–45. "
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Langellotto 2012, Scherr 2013, Ratcliffe MM, Merrigan KA, Rogers BL, Goldberg JP. The effects of school garden experiences on middle school-aged students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with vegetable consumption. Health Promotion Practice. 2011;12(1):36-43.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Ratcliffe 2011, Parmer SM, Salisbury-Glennon J, Shannon D, Struempler B. School gardens: An experiential learning approach for a nutrition education program to increase fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption among second-grade students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2009;41(3):212-7.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Parmer 2009, McAleese JD, Rankin LL. Garden-based nutrition education affects fruit and vegetable consumption in sixth-grade adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2007;107(4):662-5.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)McAleese 2007, Rauzon 2010). Establishing school gardens is a recommended strategy to promote healthy eating, improve nutrition, and reduce obesity (CDC-School-based obesity prevention, CDC MMWR-School health guidelines 2011, CDC-Fruits and vegetables 2011, IOM-Government obesity prevention 2009)."

 

"If people can grow safe, healthy,
affordable food, if they have access
to land and clean water, this is
transformative on every level in a
community. I believe we cannot have
healthy communities without a
healthy food system."
— Will Allen

 

Check out these fun photos of students in their school gardens below. Students are so excited and can’t wait for the food to grow to be able to pick with their families this summer!

        

 

 

 

Mental Health Awareness Month: re:TH!NKing taking care of our mental health

When we think about cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, we don’t wait years to treat them. We start before Stage 4—we begin with prevention. When people are in the first stage of those diseases and are beginning to show signs of symptoms like a persistent cough, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar, we try immediately to reverse these symptoms. We don’t ignore them. We don’t question the individual’s experiences. In fact, we develop a plan of action to reverse and sometimes stop the progression of the disease.

So why aren’t we doing the same for individuals who are dealing with potentially serious mental health conditions?

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and although we're nearing the end of the month, it is always the perfect time to raise awareness about mental health conditions and address the continued efforts needed to become a mentally healthy nation. Mental health conditions are defined as "conditions that impact a person's thinking, feeling or mood may affect and his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis. Each person will have different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis" (NAMI). One in four American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year and 50% of Americans will meet criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their lifetime (MentalHealth.gov; Mental Health America). Mental health conditions are not only common, they are treatable. However, less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health conditions receive necessary treatment (MentalHealth.gov). Many people may not recognize the symptoms of mental health conditions and they may be unable to ask for help. Additionally, the stigma and silence that plagues mental health conditions prevents many from being able to recognize and acknowledge potential warning signs, let alone seek help and treatment. The warning signs of possible mental health conditions include:

• Depressed mood (sadness)
• Poor concentration
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Extreme mood swings
• Withdrawing or feeling isolated
• Talking about being a burden to others
• Feelings of guilt
• Thoughts of suicide
• Extreme irritability
• Agitation
• Increased risk-taking behavior
• Difficulty in organizing thoughts
• Emotional flatness

So what can YOU do to support your own mental wellness and create a culture that strives to support those who are experiencing mental health conditions?

• Talk. We all have mental health and we all experience difficulties staying mentally healthy sometimes, so being able to talk about it is important to us all. And you don't need to be an expert about mental health. Sometimes, just doing the little things, like asking someone how they are, is all it takes to let someone know you're still thinking about them and can make a big difference to how they're feeling. So talk with your family, friends, coworkers, and others about mental health. Need conversation starters? Text START to 89800 throughout the month of May 2015 for discussion questions through the national “Text, Talk, Act” program.
• Stop and smell the roses...literally. Take a walk outside. Enjoy a nearby park or notice the hints of a changing season. Studies show that being surrounded by nature is a mood booster.
• Switch up your exercise regimen. Try a dance class or a new sport. Exercising with other people can enhance its stress-reducing benefits. Even small additions of exercise throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking your car farther away, can decrease tension and improve sleep.
• Make a list of activities you enjoy. Set aside time each week to focus on yourself and what makes you happy. Remember, everyone deserves a break and we're often hardest on ourselves.

• Write down and share a few things that you are grateful for. Thinking about what you’re grateful for everyday can help to put into perspective all of the day-to-day stresses and worries that can overwhelm your mind.
• When your brain is bursting with worries, write them down. Release all those cooped-up worries and let the paper deal with them. By writing down your worries, you feel as though you’re emptying your brain, and you feel lighter and less tense.
• Take a few minutes to breathe deeply—in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try this technique: Pretend you’re taking a giant whiff of a bouquet of flowers, then pretend to blow out a candle.
• Treat people with mental health conditions with respect, compassion, and empathy. If you know someone with a mental health condition, be supportive and non-judgmental of them. Check in with them to see how they are doing and how you can help. It can be as simple as just being a friend. We all have mental health and we will all need support during tough times at some point in our lives.

Resources

• To help a friend who is struggling with mental health problems, express your concern and support and remind them that help is available and that mental health conditions can be treated. If they need help finding services, suggest that they call their family doctor, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-274-TALK (8255), text "Hopeline" 839863 (The Center for Suicide Awareness), or call United Way's
  2-1-1 directory to be connected with community resources. They can also visit findtreatment.samhsa.gov to find local treatment providers, free or low-cost services, payment/insurance options, languages available, and other information.

 

• If you’re concerned that you or a loved one may be experiencing a mental health condition, there are free and anonymous screenings available online at www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screening-tools. Screening is an anonymous, free and private way to learn about your mental health and if you are showing warning signs of a mental condition. A screening only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished you will be given information about the next steps you should take based on the results. A screening is not a diagnosis, but it can be a helpful tool for starting a conversation with your doctor or a loved one about your mental health.

You can help end the silence and stigma around mental illness that discourages people from getting help. This is a month to make a difference in our communities. Let’s rethink how we talk about mental health and remember that there is no health without mental health.

We're #ShiftingGears for the Fox Valley Bike Challenge

May 1 began the annual National Bike Challenge and the Fox Valley is again hoping to be among the leaders in local challenges with the Fox Valley Bike Challenge. We've got a goal of 3,500 riders and 1.5 million miles! 

Join the Challenge at: http://nationalbikechallenge.org/. Click the "Join" button and become a new user, or join via your Facebook profile. The challenge runs through September 30.

NEW THIS YEAR: Download the STRAVA app for your smartphone and sync your rides to the challenge. We are collecting local ride data to help us with the regional and local bicycle/pedestrian plans. For more details on what we're going to do with this data, watch this WBAY story that aired May 1, 2015.

The Challenge has many great prizes, and each month prizes will be given away to reward Challenge participants. The more you bike, the better your chance of winning (and the better the prizes) will be! 

Stay up-to-date with the Fox Valley Bike Challenge on Facebook. Or search #shiftinggears on Twitter to read what our friends at Oshkosh Communities (@CommunitiesONHS) are saying about the Challenge.

For more on the challenge from a state and national perspective, the Bike Fed has us covered:
http://www.wisconsinbikefed.org/2015/05/01/wisconsin-gets-the-hole-shot-in-national-bike-challenge/

Cookin’ it Fresh Challenge Engages Youth, Chefs, Community; Promotes Local Food

The month of April has been a fun and exciting time for re:TH!NK and the Winnebago County Farm to School program as we geared up for a major food event.

The Oshkosh Area School District, in partnership with the re:TH!NK’s Winnebago County Farm to School program, hosted the first annual Cookin’ It Fresh Challenge on April 19th, 2015 at Oshkosh North High School. Approximately 150 people attended the event.

The competition was modeled after the Harvest Challenge in Vernon County, which has been popular there for the past 6 years.  The cooking competition challenged students from Oshkosh North and West high school to influence their school lunch menu by creating new entrées using locally grown foods that would appeal to student’s tastes.

Each team of students was to create their entrée to meet the National School Lunch program nutritional guidelines while incorporating locally grown foods. The teams were paired up with a local chef who mentored the students throughout the project. The restaurants the student teams worked with were, “The Roxy”,” Mahoney’s” ,”Beckets”, and “Fratello’s”.

The purpose of the event was also to help students learn more about school foods, food safety, local foods, cooking skills, and how to make nutritious foods taste great. Several students and chefs were asked what their favorite part about the experience was. Student Kyra Eirman stated, “I really like having an impact on what we eat at school.” Another student claimed, “Learning about the school’s difficulties when preparing food”. Chef Elliott Boushele from The Roxy stated, “the team bonding” and Chef Scott Roekle from Fratello’s in Oshkosh stated, “working with the students”. Overall, the first annual Cookin’ It Fresh Challenge was a success.

Entrée’s were presented to a panel of judge’s and later served to the community. A vote was taken as to the favorite dish.  The four entrée’s the teams create d were, “Turkey Vegetable Alfredo Cannelloni (Team Roxy)”, “Pork Roulade served with Brown Rice and Steamed Broccoli (Team Becket’s)”, “Roasted Vegetable Thai Coconut Curry with Tofu or Chicken served over Brown Rice (Team Mahoney’s)”, all served with Fresh Dinner Rolls, and “Chicken Walking Tacos made with Tortilla Chips (Team  Fratello’s)”.

Prizes were awarded to the winning teams, including a traveling trophy for the judge’s choice, a hand-crafted painted pottery dish for the community choice, and one of the entrée’s served on a future high school lunch menu for the student choice.  The award winners were, Team Fratello’s who won both the judge’s choice and student award, and Team Roxy, who won the community choice award.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from the event will support a project to put salad bars in all elementary, and middle schools in Oshkosh.

Look out for Chicken Walking Tacos made with Tortilla chips on the future Oshkosh areas school district lunch menu! We look forward to next year’s Cookin’ It Fresh Challenge.

The  competition was made possible through funding from a USDA Farm to School grant, and is supported by re:TH!NK/Winnebago County Health Department, Oshkosh North Communities Program, the University Studies Program at UW Oshkosh, and other community partners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Every April the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc (NCADD) look at important issues in regards to underage drinking, and this year’s theme, “For the Health of it: Early Education on Alcoholism and  Addiction,”  is designed to look at the impact that alcohol abuse and addiction have on young people and their families.
So to get started let’s look at some of the data on underage drinking. According to the 2014 YRBS data of the high students in Winnebago County:

• 16.1% of students said that rode in a car or other vehicle that was driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol during the last 30 days

• 59% of students have had at least one drink in their lifetime and 29.7% of students said they had a drink within the past 30 days.

• 16.8% of students had their first drink before the age of 13

• 17.2% of students have binged drank (had 5 drinks of alcohol or more in row within a couple of hours) during the past 30 days

• 40.3% neither approve nor disapprove of binge drinking

Underage drinking can put youth at a significantly greater risk for consequences in life including sexual assault, lack of academic achievement, social problems, motor vehicle accidents, and even death. In a study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it was found that more than 97,000 college students were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rate. In this same study, 25% of the students had reported academic problems that related to drinking. 150,000 college students reported an alcohol-related injury, and 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries each year.

So what can you do?

Talk about alcohol and other substance abuse issues with teens. If you don’t know how to get the conversation started check out this: Talking with Children

Research know the signs and symptoms of alcohol or substance abuse

Get Help If you know someone who is ready for help there is a list of local providers here: bit.ly/reTHINKLocalResources 

And remember, addiction can happen to anyone.