Cincinnati Public Schools

High school students arriving at school in Cincinnati are greeted with the smells of homemade granola that was roasted early in the morning. Also on offer are overnight oats, a favorite with the athletes. “It takes about 30 minutes more of staff time [to prepare these], but it is worth it because once they try it, they keep coming back,” says Jessica Shelley, Director of Student Dining Services. Food and nutrition recently sponsored a competition across schools to increase breakfast participation. Sports teams were enlisted to rally high school students to eat breakfast. The winning school was awarded with a riverboat cruise for their senior prom!

As part of her team’s five year plan, they prioritized high school students and outlined a vision for making the cafeteria a gathering place for students where they wanted to be. They visited local universities for ideas on how seating could be done differently as well as local restaurants and fast casual chains for style inspiration. Now the cafeteries contain a variety of seating options like round tables for eight students with comfort seats and standing bars with charging stations. The serving lines are sleek and have open glass shelving from which the students can pick and choose. Dishes are plated and presented differently to mimic what students might experience outside of the classroom. “Investments in atmosphere and ambiance pay off but it can be hard to convince folks to take the plunge initially” says Shelley.

Salad bars are an important feature in schools across the district, providing self-serve options that often include local, sustainable produce. They also are a highly visible testament to the district’s investment in student experience and something that got principals’ attention (though Shelly recalls skepticism over the cost during the early days of introducing the bars). Shelly prioritized CEP schools and for others clamoring for a salad bar, she used their interest as an opportunity to encourage adoption of other initiatives. “I made a spreadsheet and checked off, do they do breakfast after the bell, have they moved recess before lunch, do they have a garden [and other categories]? Those schools that were doing the most to expand access and nutrition already got the salad bars first and the others were encouraged to adopt the other initiatives to qualify for the salad bar.”