Email the letter to: boardofed@berkeley.net
Copy and paste the letter below:
March 26, 2013
Dear BUSD Board of Directors:
We -- the children and parents -- at Willard Middle School are
devastated at the possible loss of our much cherished Garden and Cooking Program
and urge you to continue to fully fund the Garden and Cooking Programs for the
entire district.
Although we understand that the
district has lost federal money that has historically funded this program, we
ask you to take a long, hard look at the many, many benefits the program
provides and find a way to continue to completely
fund the Garden and Cooking Program. We
also suggest that the long-term cost of losing the program is much greater than
the cost of funding it! In a nation
facing an obesity crisis among our young people, teaching about where food
comes from and how to develop healthy eating habits has never been more
important.
What are some of the many benefits of our Garden and Cooking
Program? Numerous recent studies show
that school based Cooking and Gardening programs:
* help children discover fresh food and make better eating choices
* lower stress levels in students
* increase academic performance
* reduce the symptoms of ADHD
* reduce classroom management and discipline problems
* improve children's knowledge
of nutrition, life skills, self-esteem,
social skills and behavior
Furthermore, we can look no further than BUSD's own Wellness Policy to
see that a healthy diet, sustainable agriculture, environmental restoration and
life-long healthy eating habits are all part of BUSD's mission, and that integrating
these into the curriculum is a part of that mission. Are we to dismantle the programs we've worked
so hard to develop and throw this mission out the window? Even if money is available a few years from
now, the cost of resurrecting these programs after we've lost experienced
staff, infrastructure and a mature garden are too great. We must find the funding to keep our gardens
thriving, our cooking programs cooking, and our children healthy and well
nourished in mind, body and soul.
Please continue to fund our Garden and Cooking Program!
Sincerely,
your name here
Willard Middle School Family
Willard Middle School Family
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