One of the things I love about private schools like ours is our ability to be entrepreneurial and innovative and quickly bring an idea to market. Last spring I met over coffee with a co-founder of a firm working to improve human health through nutrition. We brainstormed how we might scale his idea to our unique high school setting. I was excited as I considered what it could mean for our students to have the opportunity to learn about and take action with complex real-world problems. I brought my enthusiasm back to two people I knew could drive it forward – Mrs. Hochtl and Ms. Larson.
They took the big idea and ran with it, and over the summer they created a new, semester pilot course – Community Health and Food Sustainability. Thanks to donor generosity, the course was underwritten. In August, it launched with 9 students.
So what are students learning and doing this semester?
- Human nutritional requirements and how healthy diets positively impact health.
- The importance of soil health and resilience in growing food, as well as exposure to industrialization in the food system.
- Examine ways to make the current system more sustainable, including growing urban gardens, reducing food waste, and turning to traditional wisdom in farming.
- Cook meals that expand food vocabulary and encourage choices that benefit people and the planet.
- Perform a community outreach project.
And why is this course so important?
- As Christians, we’re called to steward God’s creation – people and planet.
- To grow leaders who will make true positive change in their communities and society.
- To lower personal healthcare costs and improve quality of life through proper nutrition, perhaps the most cost-effective lever.
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To educate students to become food citizens who will advocate for themselves and their communities to eat in a way that promotes health, encourages locally grown food consumption, and gives access to the underserved.
Stay tuned as we plan to launch another Community Health Food Sustainability section starting 2nd semester.
Steve O'Neil
Head of School
