Troy School District only district in Montana to meet Healthier Schools Challenge in 2017

Troy School district recently received a silver award through the U.S Department of Agriculture Healthier Schools Challenge — the only district in Montana so awarded this year.

According to a news release, 109 Montana schools — 13 percent of Montana schools — have received the award since its inception.

Award criteria is based on having healthy food choices, providing a certain amount of physical education and factors such as incorporating local food into the menu and nutrition education into the curriculum.

“Troy does a really great job for such a small school,” said Katie Bark, a nutrition manager at Bozeman University who is instrumental in recognizing schools through the program. “(Food Service Manager) Kris Newton makes a lot of the food herself, and they have a school garden to provide some fresh, local food to students.”

Newton attributes the school’s success to a supportive administration.

“I’ve had the complete support of our administration,” she said. “Jennifer Higgins and Diane Rewerts wrote the application (for the award). I think they all understand how important nutrition is.”

Superintendent and High School Principal Jacob Francom said that eight years ago, he saw 70 suspensions per year at the high school. Now the number is about 15 per year.

“We were a little bigger then,” Francom said. “But I would say having the salad bar, and not having soda available, has made a big difference in behavior.”

Francom said that Bark helped the district develop a school wellness policy three years ago that formed the basis of making some of the improvements necessary to be eligible for the award.

Creating the plan was “quite a process,” Francom said. “We had staff and student council members involved at the time.”

The High School’s two salad bars and a new healthy snacks vending machine stocked with nuts, dried fruit and even seaweed are part of that plan.

Francom outlined the ethical decision schools have to make with regards to food choices.

“You can make a lot of money from having a coke vending machine,” he said. “But we’re trying to go the other way and aim for government funding for improving food options.”

The news release reports that Troy “students are offered multiple opportunities for physical activity through not only physical education classes but also structured recess and a before and after school Fit Kids Club at the elementary.”

Another aspect of the district’s success is the school garden, funded through the Yaak Valley Forest Council, a local nonprofit.

“We are proud to play a part in increasing nutrition access and awareness for kids at Troy schools,” said Shawna Kelsey, garden director.

Kelsey, who also manages the Troy Farmers Market, said she advises anyone with excess produce to drop it off at either the food bank or the school.

“Kris (Newton) makes a huge effort to incorporate the food we grow into her menus,” she said.

Newton said her job is a balance between budgeting and prioritizing quality food.

“I’d love to offer homemade chicken breast nuggets, but we just can’t,” she said. “We feed almost 300 students for lunch every day and there are four of us working.”

Bark said that if anything, the trajectory school nutrition standards are on is relaxing guidelines about whole grain, sodium and fat to allow more schools to meet them. She said her department’s highest recommendation is to serve protein for breakfast five days a week, but because protein is expensive the recommendation is three days a week to allow school budgets to meet the standard.

“We have more flexibility on grains, with foods that contain half whole grain being recognized as a whole grain food,” Bark said. “And our flavored milk, instead of being skim, is allowed to be one percent now.”

Bark said that school food “comes down to what industry has.”

The award will entitle the school district to an award plaque, a display banner and $1000 to fund their school food service program.

Newton said she plans to use the money to rejuvenate the outside of the elementary cafeteria.