FARMINGTON – Cascade Brook School kicked off Potato Week, five days dedicated to all things potato, with a bang Monday morning, as students learned about the nutritional value of potatoes and some new dance moves.
Instructor Mad Louie (“but it’s the good kind of mad,” he noted) works with Kids Play, an organization dedicated to improving the health of children through better diet and exercise habits. Louie works mostly with K-6 children.
“It’s all about teaching them that there are more than one kind of exercise,” Mad Louie said. “And they don’t have to do it all at once.”
The week of potato activities was organized by Alyce Cavanaugh, MSAD 9’s school health coordinator.
The United Nations declared 2008 as Year of the Potato and in celebration of that, the school received a $2,500 grant from the U.S. Potato Board to help with the week’s events.
“We were only 1 of 10 schools in the country to receive this grant,” Cavanaugh said. “They had over 350 applicants,” she added.
Dancing with Mad Louie, new potato recipes for the students to try, a potato song performed by students for Superintendent Michael Cormier and Assistant Superintendent Susan Pratt and much more is planned.
Librarian Patricia Flint will teach potato history, its health benefits, trivia and more. Gym class will hold potato sack races. The school’s menu designed by Cavanaugh and food service director Cheryl Ellis will feature new recipes to expose students to the versatility of the potato. A taste test of the new recipes will be held with students selecting their favorite.
A “Wellness Goes Home” newsletter on the potato will be sent home to all parents.
In addition, the cafetorium and library are decorated with, what else? Potato balloons. An essay-writing contest is also going on with the prompt: “Why the potato is important to your health.” The top winner in from each class will receive a Mr. Potato Head.
Amid all this fun with the versatile tuber, Cavanaugh said, eating well is what this is really all about.
“We are doing our part in helping fighting obesity in our schools,” she said.
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