The Williamsburg County School District has been awarded a $75,000.00 grant by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. The support will allow the district to implement a school breakfast project in three high schools.
Williamsburg County School District will implement the “Grab and Go” Breakfast Model at three high schools: C. E. Murray High, Hemingway High, and Kingstree Senior High. Research and literature illustrates a direct correlation between eating breakfast and school attendance, classroom behavior, tardiness, and academic achievement. The data in Williamsburg County indicates that many of the students in our high schools are not eating breakfast, thus, having a lower Average Daily Participation (ADP) rate and are the least likely group of students to participate in a nutritious breakfast.
In order to close the ADP gap in our high schools, a district-wide campaign will be implemented. Breakfast plays a significant role in shaping the learning environment. Studies have found that eating breakfast at school is linked to improvements in math, reading and vocabulary, improved standardized test scores, increased alertness and concentration, improved behavior and decreases in student absenteeism and tardiness.
The “Grab and Go” project helps the food service department achieve its mission by providing the funding that will enable WCSD’s high schools to offer healthy breakfast alternatives during the 2015-2016 school year,” said Interim Superintendent Carrie Brock. She further stated, “It is the mission of the school district, in collaboration with stakeholders that students receive a high quality education, and we know that students will not reach their fullest potential if they are undernourished.” The model benefits students in Williamsburg County in several ways, to include: extended time in the morning to eat; flexibility in getting breakfast from strategically located service carts; and less stigma from peers by moving breakfast out of the cafeteria. As a result, there will be improvement in student attentiveness; fewer disciplinary referrals; and increased percentages of breakfast participation. District principals, in collaboration with the Interim Superintendent of Education, the Director of Food Services and a district wide advisory board will be actively involved in this process to develop a model that meets the unique needs of students in this county.
Local residents can see how the AASA grant is benefiting the district by visiting us on the district’s website at www.wcsd.k12.sc.us or by visiting our local high schools.
About AASA: AASA, the School Superintendents Association received funding from the Walmart Foundation to support alternative school breakfast serving methods, including in the classroom and “Grab and Go”. AASA provides funding for infrastructure, marketing, communications and other needs around school breakfast implementation. AASA also provides in-depth technical assistance through mentors and inclusion in its school breakfast Community of Practice. The American Association of School Administrators is committed to the purpose of reducing childhood hunger by increasing participation in the school breakfast program. For more information, visit http://aasa.org/schoolbreakfast.aspx.
