MM3 PREVIEW

The Lansing School now provides students free and healthy lunches with more choices.

For the Lansing School District, 2013 is the second year to get a USDA grant and make available t students free lunches.

“For the Lansing School District every student can receive a free lunch. It is supported by a grant that makes this possible. Prior to the grant, which we now in its second year, lunches cost $1.65,” Lansing Reo School Principal Kim Johnson Ray said.

According to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 1946 the National School Lunch Act created the modern school lunch program, though USDA had provided funds and food to schools for many years prior to 1946. Since the modern program began, more than 224 billion lunches have been served.

Although the cost for children’s lunches are cheaper than university costs (lunch at any Michigan State University’s dinning hall is $8.99 per person, according to the university’s Website), but still it is a big improvement for the Lansing School District.

Another big improvement for the Lansing School District is that now students have more choice on what to eat.

“A few months ago the elementary schools began allowing students to have choices. They have two different main dish choices or a cool kids lunch, which are yogurt, cheese, bread and milk,” Charles Alberts, teacher at Lansing School District, said.

“Besides the main dish options students can go to the fruit and salad bar to make their own selections,” Alberts said.

“I like the salad bar,” Andy Arsen, a first-grade student at Reo Lansing Elementary School, said.

“Because I like to take food from the bar by myself and choose what I want to eat.”

“Students like it better than the previous option if no choice. However, many students still feel it is limited,” Alberts said.