Thurgood Marshall Academy and Savoy Elementary School Students come together to celebrate Farm to School Week

Today, students from Thurgood Marshall Academy and its sister school right next door, Savoy Elementary, came together in their shared gymnasium to celebrate the kickoff of Farm to School Week, starting today through October 15.

The day's festivities included a cook-off between some of the area's best chefs (judged by the students present), a visit by the White House Executive Chef Sam Kass, a visit by Ward 3 City Councilwoman Mary Cheh (celebrating the passage of the Healthy Schools Act), and many others striving for healthier schools in DC.

Thurgood Marshall Academy students assisted the chefs, helping them prepare the dishes. Each TMA student, accompanied by a buddy from Savoy, were allowed to vote for their favorite dish: most were won over by the home-grown, healthy, apple crisp, made from locally grown apples.

After the cook-off ended, students, sponsors and teachers filed outside to view the newly completed portion of TMA and Savoy's shared garden, already sprouting fruits and vegetables in preparation for this spring's harvest.

This is only the beginning of a week that is designed to promote healthier eating choices for our children's schools, ensuring them a better diet and a better life in the long-run.

Find out what may be happened at a school near you for the rest of this week and find out more about Farm to School Week by clicking here.

View photos of the day's activities below.

Ward 8 Students and Parents: Get Ready for Farm to School Week! 10/12- 10/15

Mark your calendars – D.C. Farm to School Week is coming October 12-15, 2010!

Join the D.C. Farm to School Network, in partnership with schools, community organizations and state agencies to:

• Expose D.C. students to the joys of growing, harvesting, preparing and eating farm-fresh, local foods;
• Get healthy, local foods into D.C. school cafeterias;
• Celebrate the passage of the Healthy Schools Act; and
• Celebrate D.C. School Garden Week!

Want to sponsor the event, and support D.C. kids and local farms? Download our Sponsor Packet to learn more.

Join us on Tuesday, October 12th to kick-off D.C. Farm to School Week and D.C. School Garden Week!

When: Tuesday, October 12th ; 1:00pm
Where: Thurgood Marshall Academy & Savoy Elementary’s shared Gymnasium
2427 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Washington, DC 2002
Anacostia metro station, many bus lines, or parking in lot across the street

Please RSVP for this event to Kacie Warner at kwarner@washingtonyouthgarden.org by October 7th.

Students will be the judges in a contest of local chefs competing to create the tastiest dish from a local apple harvest. The images from a city-wide School Garden Photo Contest will be displayed and the winning photographers announced. A brand-new school garden, shared by Thurgood Marshall Academy and neighboring Savoy Elementary School, will be named, dedicated, painted and planted. We’ll celebrate the passage of the DC Healthy Schools Act and the exciting changes in school lunches with Councilmember Mary Cheh. Special guests Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Sam Kass, White House Chef and Senior Policy Adviser For Healthy Food Initiatives will join us to celebrate local and national efforts to grow healthier kids.

Other Schools Coordinating Events in Ward 8!

Garfield Elementary School, Ward 8
10/13 – 3rd graders visiting Rocklands Farm in Poolesville, MD
10/14 – Cooking demonstration with Chef Tee of Station 9

Thurgood Marshall Academy and Savoy Elementary, Ward 8
10/12 Hosting the Farm to School Week and School Garden Week joint kick-off event

What will the event look like?

Participating D.C. schools will serve and highlight healthy, locally-grown foods in their school meals. Additionally, we’ll help a number of schools coordinate both educational farm field trips where students can harvest local produce, and also interactive chef demonstrations where students can prepare and taste local produce!

We’re also coordinating a battling chef kick-off event at Savoy Elementary School on Tuesday, October 12th. Stay tuned for more information!

How can schools get involved?

• Serve healthy, local foods in your school meals – many school food service operations have already committed to doing so, including all D.C. Public Schools. The D.C. Farm to School Network is working with many others – contact Andrea at andrea(at)dcfarmtoschool(dot)org to see if your school will feature farm-fresh foods during the week.
• Highlight local foods on the menu during the week by noting which items are local and where they come from. Find outWhat’s In Season during D.C. Farm to School Week.
• Spread the word about D.C. Farm to School Week! See below (Information & Resources) for sample P.A. Announcements, promotional materials, letters to parents, and more.

How can other individuals and organizations get involved?

• Do you want to sponsor the event? We need donations of food, transportation, and more. Download our Sponsor Packetfor more information.
• Would you like to lead a chef demonstration at a school? Read our Call for Chefs PDF for more details.
• Do you have local food to sell or donate for the event? Email andrea(at)dcfarmtoschool(dot)org or call Andrea at (202) 526-5344 x298.
• Want to just stay in the loop? Join our e-Newsletter to stay up-to-date on volunteer opportunities, planning updates, tools & resources.

FIND MORE INFORMATION ON FARM TO SCHOOL WEEK HERE

Washington Post: Cheh calls for longer school day

Cheh calls for longer school day

D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) will introduce a bill Tuesday to extend the school day for 45,000 District public school students by at least a half hour, an effort to give kids more classroom instructional time.

The bill, set to be introduced at the council's regularly scheduled meeting, would extend the school day from the current 6.5 hours to at least seven hours, Cheh said Monday. Currently, the school day at many District schools begins at 8:45 a.m. and concludes at 3:15 p.m.

Cheh's proposal, which will likely undergo extensive review before the council acts on it, is designed to help the District meet President Obama's call for longer school days to enhance the quality of education.

Cheh said the change would also place District public schools in line with the instructional time already offered by some local charter schools.

But District school children shouldn't start fretting about more time in the classroom just yet.

Cheh acknowledges that the longer stay day would come at considerable cost to taxpayers. And with the city forecasted to face lean local budgets for the foreseeable future, Cheh said, it could be some time before her legislation is enacted.

"This will be the start of the conversation," Cheh said.

By Tim Craig | October 5, 2010; 5:29 AM ET