Group+1

**2. Research Summary: **
====**Kelsie's Research Showed:** After using all the information that I have gained from my articles, all my research has helped me a lot. I was able to get across to everyone what The National School Lunch Program, as well as the Federal Food programs are and how they work. This research helped me to gain knowledge on how many nutrients students are taking in daily compared to the recommended dietary intake per day. I also learned a lot about the funding of the school lunches and how to maintain the government income for each lunch. Therefore all this information has come together to make my project worthwhile to listen to.==== ====**Victoria's Research Showed:** After doing research on my topic, I have realized that a majority children in the United States rely on school meals for their food. Since school lunches are being served to a such a large portion of children, it is very important that schools require healthy options for children to choose from. To help guide children towards the healthy choices, they should be taught the right foods to eat at a young age. It is crucial that they are introduced to the necessities of fruits and vegetables at a young age because this will decrease their chances of becoming obese.==== ====**Meagan's Research Showed:** After doing research on what is being served in schools today I found information that left me as a reader and a researcher pleasantly surprised. The food being served in schools is low in sodium, heart healthy and has zero grams of trans fat. These changes were implemented by the National School Lunch Program and delivered by Sodexo which feeds more than three quarters of the schools in the nation. I also found from my research the amount of food that is served per meal at school. The serving size and suggested amount is visually and readily available to each student in the school whether the student receives free or reduced lunch or buys lunch. The schools offer one cup of fruit and one cup of vegetables along with 1% milk and whole grain braid. However, the last piece of information that will always leave me in shock is that schools consider pizza, you guessed it... a VEGETABLE!==== ====**Courtney's Research Showed:** A major epidemic has occurred in the United States and we have a crisis in our country. Childhood obesity has rapidly taken control of our schools, the children who fill the schools, and the future of our country is at stake. Reading multiple articles that were written by scholars, I have realized that childhood obesity is not just a one year fix. My research has taught me that obesity is a lifetime change, and that changes need to take place every day to fix the epidemic that America faces. When battling with the idea of childhood obesity, the school food environment is the ideal starting point, but my research has shown that changes need to take place outside of the school environment too.==== ====**Katie's Research Showed:** Food served in the cafeteria's of public schools have a large impact on the health of that child, however even if a school has high standards for their cafeteria's, food consumed at school outside of the cafeteria can create just as bad of an effect. My research revolved around eating environments in schools besides lunch time in the cafeteria. I studied the standards and impacts of vending machines, la carte options, and snack times. I wanted to investigate if whether having standards and guidelines for these foods made a difference in obesity rates among the students. I also learned a lot about different types of programs that have been put in place all over the country in order to influence healthy snacks and more nutritious options. In all my research I found that healthier options do make a big difference, however it's not just food that's a big issue. Sugary drinks and not enough supplied water are a big problems in many schools. Sugary drinks with no nutritious value are just empty calories that could easily be replaced by water. I think that over the years many people have put convenience over healthiness in regards to the types of food they serve. However, the rising obesity rate in school children has alarmed many and now programs and standards are being constructed in order to stop this horrifying phenomenon.====

**3. Group Project Overview**
====**1.** Starti ng off our presentation with a small visual activity involving the presentation of food and apples, we'll then transition into the introduction of our presentation. Our introduction will consist of explaining our research question and why it is important. Before our presentation we will pass out fill in the blank activity sheets that will be part of our lesson. We'll explain to our audience to follow along with our presentation while they do their activity sheet based off of facts we'll be presenting. ==== ====**2.** Next, in our presentation, each member of our group will go into a sub-topic relating to our research question. We'll discuss nutrition policies within different school environments, the nutritional value of school lunches, and how these things are effecting children.====

**5. Annotated Bibliography**
====**Kelsie:** How does the federal food program work? What are some other programs? ====

**Victoria:** What percent of students actually eat the school lunches?
====**Courtney:** How does the National School Lunch Program affect obesity among students in the United States? ==== ====**Katie:** How does food served outside of the cafeteria impact students health and nutrition? ==== Meagan Blanchette: What foods are being served within the schools?