Ecole Heritage cafeteria manager Suzelle Breault and Rachelle Berube, french health services coordinator for Peace Country Health.

The continuation of a nutritional and tasty program at Ecole Heritage School in Falher is helping to create awareness among parents, staff and students about the value of living a healthy lifestyle. The lunch box program – a 20-week long initiative offered through Peace Country Health’s french health services department and funded through Patrimoine Canadien Secretariat Francophone – is an extension of a pilot project introduced last year at the school. “The main emphasis of the lunch box program is to encourage active living through healthy lifestyle choices and nutrition,” says Rachelle Berube, coordinator for health services in french. “It’s really been beneficial in terms of the positive influence it’s had on students and their daily decision-making habits regarding food choices.” This year’s program was launched last October, carrying through to April 23. It consisted of weekly orientation sessions with Berube providing leadership and a guiding hand by helping to promote healthy lifestyle choices and nutrition among students in Kindergarten to Grade 12. “We covered a number of interesting topics, ranging from the importance of regularly washing your hands, to improving self-esteem, the dangers of tobacco use, exercise and dealing with allergies,” she explains. Students were also presented with information related to the nutritional value of the main food groups, all of which were incorporated into the school cafeteria menu overseen by manager Suzelle Breault. “We are extremely pleased with the response we received from students to the program. They’ve even requested to have the pop machine replaced with fruit juices,” says Berube, who encourages parents to help carry the nutritional torch by ensuring that they come to school with lunches which are healthy. The program is returning to the school next year.