Black Hawk Middle School Celebrates School Nutrition

An all-school gathering took place at Tuesday morning as students got a question-and-answer session with Minnesota Vikings player Lorenzo Booker, who talked about the importance of nutrition.

The occasion was a special one. Schwan's Food Service Inc. donated $2,000 to the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan public school district for the ways it has improved school nutrition, according to a news release. Some of the middle school's accomplishments include local produce, increased offerings of fresh fruit and vegetables, and reduced sodium. Also, 75 percent of its bread and starch items are made from whole grains, according to a news release.

The donation and event from Schwan's was part of a tour across the country called "Power Lunch Rally," which kicked off in Bethesda, Md., on Sept. 20, and will finish in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday. The company is hosting rallies and donating $2,000 to four schools.

Students screamed and cheered for Booker of the Vikings. During his talk, he explained how important it is for kids to take care of their bodies, and how eating right gives you more energy. It also gives you the strength and stamina to do something like become a professional athlete, he explained.

"You need to eat right for your body to work right," he said. "We can't reach those goals if we're not healthy."

He confessed that his favorite foods include pizza and burritos. But he explained that people can train themselves to like certain foods. So he said he puts more tomatoes and mushrooms, and less pepperoni, on his pizza. And his wife -- who was in the audience with their four-year-old son -- buys fake meat and brown rice for the burritos, he said.

Janeen Peterson, a registered dietitian with the school district and president-elect of the Minnesota School Nutrition Association, said middle school is when a lot of children form their eating habits. The district has been working for several years on improving school menus, and she said it's great to be acknowledged.

Black Hawk Middle School Principal Richard Wendorff said it's not every day that they get such a recognition, along with $2,000.

"It's a great day to be a Panther," he said at the end of the rally.