Readers Sound Off On Healthy School Snacks and the Wave
The school system educates our children in academics but also in life lessons. I think that allowing junk food in the school is the wrong message to send our children when we have an obesity epidemic in our country. We educate our children about the dangers of drugs and do everything we can to keep drugs out of the schools but it is ok to provide easy acess to junk food even though we teach them about the food pyramid? Shouldn’t we do everything in our power to provide our children nutritious foods to nurish their brains and bodies while they are at school? Research has shown over and over that nutritious foods provide childrens brains with nutritious food that allows them to learn at their highest potential. Anyone for putting this food in our schools must have an ulterior motive, money. They are clearly not putting the best interests of our children first.
April Merrill
Dear Mr. Williams,
I am encouraged that our school district is supporting our children by providing only healthy snacks to encourage good eating habits for a lifetime. Elementary school is where most children establish health habits. What possible reason could any school district have for tempting children with useless, empty calories that promote weight gain and unhealthy eating habits? It is sheer hypocrisy to teach them about the food pyramid and making good eating choices in one class and go to the halls or cafeteria to find junk food available for purchase. What message does that send? We need to be consistent. Thank you for shining light on this issue. The only reason we have junk food in schools today is to line the pockets of greedy vendors who hook kids with high fat, high sugar/salt junk. I salute the school board members who are trying to protect our kids.
Lori Pettus
My favorite way of communication with my friends is via email, if I do not hear back from them in a short while then I phone them. I have friends I have known for over fifty years and if I do not have contact from them, they can expect me to show up on their doorstep such is our relationship and it is a two way street. I have had a friend drive forty miles to my house at four am because he could not reach me and was worried about my health. My phone was off the hook, he was relieved…such is a friend. A great friend in Wichita would phone my mother, visit her once a week. When she did not answer the door, he phoned the police. She was unconscious on the floor for two days. He saved her life. Such is our link with my friends.
BJ Cassady in Guthrie
Dear Mr. Williams:
I totally support the change to 100 percent healthy vending machines in the schools. I can’t compare the “loss of revenue” with the added health benefits of our children when they have access to only nutritious snacks.
Michelle Ruhl
I enjoyed your article about “the wave” and laughed to myself at your description of your dad’s wave: it sounded just like MY dad’s wave.
I’ve been meaning to write you about “The Wave” but in a different aspect. I’d like to see it as a sign of “thank you” for car drivers. When I let someone in line, say onto Santa Fe from the Crest parking lot, it’s nice to see a little wave of thanks. Perhaps our mayoral candidates should pick this up as one of their ideas for betterment of Edmond. Can’t you see the signs now? “
I enjoy your articles!
Jackie Damiani
The evidence is there about high calorie foods contributing to our children’s obesity and diabetic problems in this country. No debate. If keeping healthy foods available for our children are part of the cost of education, then so be it. We cannot compromise on modeling the components of healthy living. All schools look for leaders who will be role models for our children; we look for instructors, administrators, school board members who model decent behavior and good thinking skills. Our world demands this of us. In this case, our leaders must model good thinking in what they put in front of our students as food worthy. Students model what they see and what is available. We must make healthy foods available. Surely, the Edmond Public Schools will not compromise in teaching this valuable lesson of healthy living.
Now, let’s take a stand and show that we care enough to get our funding from more reputable places than vending machines that cater to the sweet tooth inside our school buildings. The EPS Board should be encouraged to only stock their vending machines with healthy foods. It’s our responsibility to nurture the mind and the body with the best that we have. Stay healthy in every way.
Armetta Smitley
John,
I enjoyed your article on the one finger wave. Being raised in Edmond when it was a much smaller town, I remember the one finger wave which was the raising of the index finger from the steering wheel. Then there was the nodding of the head by an upward motion. These gestures are still used a lot in the rural areas. I travel to Kingfisher occasional and on the road when you meet someone you almost always still get this kind of howdy. John I really enjoy your daily articles. Keep up the good work.
E. L. McBroom.
A tip of the hat to you for comments in today’s OK. Bet you’ll still get the steering wheel/index finger wave on some country roads over here in Lincoln County. Many years ago, that was my Dad’s routine greeting to all passing motorists. He also never passed a woman on the street without the motion of tipping or doffing his felt Stetson hat to her and I think said howdy to everyone he passed as just common courtesy.
Chandler reader, Sally Ferrell
Dear John,
Has Edmond become too much a part of the city? I moved to
Betty Thorsen, Chandler,
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