Jordan School District Nutrition Services and Career and Technical Education (CTE) staff hosted a “Farm to School” lunch at Columbia Elementary School, welcoming state lawmakers and representatives from both the Utah Department of Agriculture and the Utah State Board of Education. The special guests received a firsthand look at the District’s “Junior Master Gardener” curriculum, which is currently being piloted across several Jordan schools. State officials also toured the school kitchen to observe how fresh local ingredients are used to prepare student meals. However, the highlight of the day was lunchtime, when lawmakers sat down with third-grade students to chat about their experiences with the program and hear what they thought of the agriculture-based lessons.
The “Farm to School” initiative seamlessly bridges the gap between local agriculture and student nutrition by integrating fresh, locally grown produce into school cafeterias and providing hands-on CTE curriculum and resources for classrooms.