Hope High School students advocate for healthier lunches and make a salad bar happen

The image to the left comes from a November 20122 post on Hope United's Facebook page that illustrates the results of surveys that Hope United - a Hope High School student group focused on social justice activism based at Hope High School - conducted with other Hope students. They brought the results to the attention of Sodexo, and the first salad bar in a Providence high school made its debut on Monday. See this Providence Journal story for more.

Along with the salad and other healthier food options now available to Hope High School students, we have an example of student activism resulting in timely implementation of real changes. The students did fabulous work - they identified an issue, researched it, and made their case. Sodexo's responsiveness is encouraging, and I hope we can find ways to identify demand for healthier food options in all of our schools. I'll be writing about nutrition and wellness issues for the March 2012 East Side Monthly, so stay tuned for more.